


Itachi's New Partner

by Maia_Nishikawa



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-05-21 11:42:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 66,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14914739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maia_Nishikawa/pseuds/Maia_Nishikawa
Summary: Deathly ill, Itachi needs a partner who can heal him. Enter S ranked psychic kunoichi Hikari Senju, who knows the truth of the Uchiha massacre and more. Through blood sweat and tears, Hikari shows him that death is only a door. Able to talk to his deceased family and watch over Sasuke from far away, she has what it takes to mend his body. But can she mend his heart as well? ItaOC.(Originally from my fanfiction.net account, where it made at least five reviewers cry uncontrollably, sometimes for hours. Just thought I'd warn you that it could happen.)





	1. Three Truths

**Author's Note:**

> *This story originally came out on June 9th, and finished on June 9th of the next year. I was invited two days later than June 9th, so instead of sticking with that pattern and to speed things up here, I will be posting one chapter weekly. I truly hope the readers here enjoy it. And of course, I welcome any feedback. It really helps me grow as a writer.*

Young women and men alike chattered excitedly and swarmed closer to the panel of waiting high rank shinobi. Kisame had been severely injured, meaning there was a temporary opening in the Akatsuki. Their leader had explicitly requested that all those recruited were medic ninja. The reason for that remained unknown.

Hikari looked enigmatically at the mass of fifty candidates. Little did they know, she had never been recruited. The woman had no interest in belonging to a criminal organization for any purpose other than her self-assigned mission. Keeping a small distance from the large crowd, she quickly snuck a peek at the nine deadly shinobi sitting at a long panel above them. Itachi sat on the end of the line, staring blankly into the distance past all of the prospects. It was clear that he had no interest in which shinobi would be selected. Hikari chuckled to herself. With all of the noise and drooling girls, he probably hated it here. She felt sorry for him. A gaggle of young women squealed and talked among themselves, nearing Hikari.

"Hey, don't you want to get closer? I heard if we get near the middle there's a table where we can write our contact information! Maybe he'll see us and want to get in touch!" The woman smiled politely, but gestured her decline.

"That's okay, I'm good right here." The three girls shrugged, making their way deeper into the crowd. More confidence swelled inside her. She knew that she would never have to give her information in childish hopes of talking with the S-ranked Uchiha. If she followed her plan, there was no way she wouldn't be chosen out of everyone.

She glanced up at him once again, wondering if he had perhaps seen the brief exchange. To her shock, he blankly glanced back. Her heart skipped a beat in surprise. She quickly turned her head, pretending it had never happened. His attention shifted back into the distance. In another fifteen minutes, a blue haired woman rose up from the panel and approached the front of the stage, signaling for quiet.

"Attention candidates. We will begin the second preliminary round now. The fifty of you have all been selected from a large sample of shinobi across the nations for displaying exemplary shinobi skills. As you know, only one of you will be chosen as a temporary replacement on Itachi Uchiha's team." Excited murmuring and squealing ensued. The blue haired woman raised her hand once more. "Silence. Now, everyone will line up in numerical order with ten people per row. Five of the Akatsuki, Tobi, Diedara, Kazuku, Zetsu and myself will begin evaluating your applications for basic S-rank level characteristics. If we call out your number, you will exit the room and we will discard your application. When there are ten remaining, we will proceed with phase three. Are there any questions?" A woman's hand shot straight up.

"Will we be able to talk to Itachi-kun even if we don't get the job?" Girls around her squealed and laughed. Hikari cringed and rolled her eyes in irritation. The blue haired woman shot them a deadpan look.

"Only the selected candidate will be talking with Itachi. We begin now." The woman returned to her seat at the other edge of the panel, and began handing out their applications to her teammates. Hikari looked at the number in her hand. 33. Calmly, she filed in with the other 49 candidates into the third row. This would be a long wait.

It appeared that the first five members adopted a bracketing system to discard applications. They would go over two at once rather quickly, conferring with each other, putting prospects head to head.

"Number 11. You are excused," The blue haired woman called out. A defeated looking dark haired girl filed out shortly after. "Forty five, FAIL! Thirty eight, FAIL!" The long blonde haired man shouted. A masked figure next to him nudged him, urging him to lower his voice. With each number called out, the more assured Hikari felt, and the closer she was to her goal. She could do it.

Thirty left. Confidence now rushed through every part of her. Everything was going to go fine. The fear she felt before she saw Itachi was gone. She even dared to look directly at him now. He glanced back. The woman gave him a hint of a smile, knowing full well he wouldn't return the gesture in order to keep up his façade. But miraculously enough, his eyes didn't shut her out.

Finally, there were ten left. They were instructed to line up into a single row. Hikari lined up, now not only calm, but comfortable, unlike her competitors. She was filled with so much purpose and meaning. She looked at the other nine, curious as to what her competitors even looked like. What sort of a person would aspire to be a part of a high ranked terrorist organization? Did they share the Akatsuki's goals, or were they clueless fans of the eldest Uchiha? Seven of the ten of them were female. One man was built similar to his former partner. Another was slender, but looked highly intelligent. The third had a cold, sociopathic look in his eyes. Now, the orange haired man who sat beside Itachi rose and took the center of the stage.

"My name is Pein. The woman who you heard from before is Konan. I am the leader of the Akatsuki. The final ten of you have done very well to have remained here for so long. You are all S rank level ninja, with outstanding capabilities. We will now begin phase three. The remaining Akatsuki members, Sasori, Kisame, Itachi and I will be thoroughly reviewing your applications, to decide which of you will not only function best in the Akatsuki, but paired with Itachi's skill set. When we have narrowed in on a decision, we will ask each candidate one final question to defend yourselves. We will begin the final phase now."

The leader sat down, and opened up the first application. The three others began to read through the pages. Itachi merely turned his head, remaining only partially engaged. Hikari put her hand in her pocket, clenching the small piece of paper that was her only weapon. Her fate rested upon the words she had written. Her fate was almost guaranteed. Two candidates failed their final question and were disqualified. With each new assessment, her confidence did not falter. Every now and again, he would look into her smiling eyes. There was no fear looking at the Uchiha. Very soon, they would be working together.

Twenty minutes later, the eighth of ten finalists exited the room, leaving only one grey haired silver eyed girl and herself. Hikari was next in line. Finally she watched him read over her application. His expression did not change, but she noticed a light flicker in his eyes. He looked at her, who looked back with unfaltering smiling eyes. He read over the second application quickly, and mumbled his vote to Kisame. The leader spoke.

"We have come upon a problem. Both of your skill sets work well enough to be accepted into the Akatsuki as Itachi's teammate. Kisame and I favor one, while Sasori and Itachi favor another. In the end, Itachi will have the final decision." The leader got up once again, coming to the front of the stage. "We'll have to ask you questions against each other. We'll start with number 33. What is your name?"

In a warm, high, confident voice, she spoke.

"Hikari."

"And why should he choose you?" With that question, Hikari finally reached into her pocket with beaming eyes and pulled out the small, white note that her very life rested upon. She smiled at him directly, and addressed the leader.

"This is for Itachi's eyes and Itachi's eyes only." The leader considered for a moment and nodded.

"Very well." Hikari gracefully handed the note her mission depended on to the leader, who handed it to Itachi. Every cell in Hikari's limbs was thrumming with energy. Kisame snickered.

"Is it a love letter?" The raven haired man calmly opened up the paper. To his surprise, the note was not written in normal letters but in the symbols he had not seen for many long years upon a stone lithograph. He looked at her with furrowed brows. Without a word, Itachi enabled his sharringan and read the only words that could ever possibly make him care about the outcome of this contest.

_I know the secret behind the Uchiha Clan massacre._

Itachi looked at the boldly smiling woman now, and it was clear in his expression he viewed her in a new light. In his mind, Hikari projected a telepathic message.

_I need to talk to you. If you value the wellbeing of your brother and the outcome of your mission, please hear what I have to say._

With expert skill in putting on an act, Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. For the first time, he spoke.

"I see. Pein, I need to have a word with this woman before I make my final decision." Her grey haired rival looked at her with surprise and jealousy and disgust. The rest of the group talked amongst each other in objection.

"Silence," Pein ordered. "We all trust Itachi's judgement enough to know that if he believes this is necessary, it must be so. If you do decide on her, we expect you to tell us exactly what message you received. When it comes to choosing members, there are no secrets within the Akatsuki." Itachi nodded, silently.

"What if it's an assassination attempt? If she's made it this far and attacks, she won't go down without a fight," Konan countered. The woman nodded her head knowingly.

"I don't want to fight anyone. Itachi is encouraged to bring any weapons he desires if he wishes. I unarmed myself at the door just like everyone else. You have my word." Itachi thought and considered, finally nodding. Hikari walked up the stairs to the waiting man, whom agitation emanated from. When she arrived, he walked towards the back of the panel.

"With me, Hikari." the man said calmly, yet sternly. The woman obeyed. He lead her past a snickering Kisame and serious looking Leader to a small room just behind them. The man gestured her inside and just before she entered, she glanced at her glaring competitor.

The room had a thick door and walls. Itachi shut them inside. His sharringan was still enabled.

"I'm from the Leaf Village," she whispered. "Quickly, you need to put me into a Tsukuyomi." Itachi was already ahead of her. Hikari boldly looked straight into his eyes as he cast his genjutsu. She could feel the flow of chakra in her brain distort until her surroundings were completely different. They were now floating in a space of formless colors, face to face. The woman looked around to make sure this wasn't a torture setup. Itachi's voice was stern, but otherwise still expressionless.

"What is the secret behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre? If you believe I have hidden motives for leaving my brother alive, you are mistaken." Hikari smiled dryly.

"I would have continued keeping the façade if I were in your position too. Nice try, but unfortunately, I'm not the one you can continue to hide the truth from. It's unfortunate, but I was able to pick up the secret while working with the elders. You read my application quite thoroughly. Hyper-intuition, remember? Do you know what that means?" Itachi looked at her inquisitively. "I try not to use the other word… it tends to rub others the wrong way. I keep it my secret."

"Clairvoyance..?" The woman grimly at his guess, nodded her head.

"Clairvoyance, clairaudience, advanced chakra sensing, empathy. I can do them all." The Uchiha reflected on this. He had never thought long about if such skills were truly possible. However, he too was extra intuitive. No one ever questioned how he arrived at his conclusions but the truth was that sometimes he just knew things instinctively. He would often pick up on feelings out of nothing and keep them to himself. He had even correctly guessed Sasuke would be born a male. If it was possible that he could just know information without any reason, then perhaps that skill could be extended in many directions and intensified to produce the skills this woman claimed she had.

"Claiming that you intuited a silly idea from the elders of my former village is explanation enough, but you have no evidence to support your claim. You're just a foolish girl with an overactive imagination and a false perception of reality." That accusation hurt Hikari. She had been told the same thing by others when she decided to let them in on her secret. Hearing it from a man she knew she could trust cut like a knife. The woman looked deeply into his eyes.

"Well, I'm obviously not an Uchiha. How do you think I found the lithographs? I can see into you, Itachi. And I hate to bring up old wounds but I need you to believe me and you give me no choice…" The woman looked straight into his waiting eyes again, boring into him. "I see a large battlefield with thousands of fallen shinobi. A man with a red uniform lies dying on the ground, begging for water. You hurry to give him what he needs, but he rises up to kill you. Without hesitation, you end his life at the age of four years old. Itachi, that battlefield is engraved in the back of your mind and it's imprinted itself onto your soul. Your own father-" Itachi raised his hand. As the woman told his story, his face grew more and more alive. His façade slipped away.

"Enough, Hikari. You've made your point." The woman was pleased with herself, despite is now evident discomfort. She gladly stopped speaking and lowered her head in sadness. Itachi looked at her with uncertainty. It was very much unlike him to be willing to disclose such intimate details of his inner self to a stranger, let alone to a woman his own age. Out of necessity the girl had pushed him past his comfort zone. Yet now he knew that guarding himself as he normally had in resistance would be futile. If it was for the sake of his mission, he would need to allow himself to open up, as painstaking as that was. He sighed. "So, you say you worked with the elders, and picked up my secret from them. Why come here to me?"

"Because others know that I have picked up many village secrets. I was accepted into ANBU because it was the best place for me to gather secrets and keep them safe within the village. But if I were to die and my body were to be stolen, that information might fall into the wrong hands. I've learned how to block off my mind to keep them safe, but when I learned of your mission the risk of my independence became too great. I can't risk leaking the truth of the Uchiha when you've spent your entire life protecting the village and the future of your clan! It would go against all of my principles. That's why I'm asking you… please let me help you in any way that I can. I'll do anything."

"What if I refuse? If you have many village secrets, you're more of a threat to the village than I am. I could kill you here." Hikari closed her eyes and smiled with resolution.

"You have me in a genjutsu. You brought weapons. If you decide to dispose of me, I will be happy to die by your hand. However, you really don't want to do that. If I am to die here, this will be the last time you will have help. I'm not stupid, Itachi. I wouldn't have come to you if I had an offer you could refuse."

"Go ahead. You know the secret. What do you have that I cannot do on my own?" Itachi braced himself for more discomfort.

"As a start, your first priority in life is to watch over Sasuke, whom you left alive, correct? You can keep a weather eye out for news regarding your brother, or even send crows or a crow to spy if need be. As Sasuke continues to grow, the risk of you being found out will only increase. I can watch over him from here or any other place in the world. I can ease your constant worrying, never leaving your side if need be." Itachi valued solitude, but even he couldn't help but admit having easy access to a remote spy would be convenient. 

"How can you see my brother without clones or any physical presence?"

"Remote viewing. I only need to see him with my minds eye." Itachi nodded his head.

"Watching over Sasuke is my responsibility." Hikari gave a knowing smirk.

"Is your narrow focus to your ideals more valuable to you than your own brother's safety? You don't even know where he is. If Orochimaru decided to make preparations to harm your brother, which he is, by the way, you would be too late. Your brother deserves the most watchful of eyes, doesn't he?" Itachi thought for a moment and closed his eyes, turning his head downward.

"So you could watch my brother, fine. What else can you do?"

"I can sometimes predict future events. If anything were to happen to the Leaf, to your brother, or to the Akatsuki, or to yourself, you would have time to plan and time to intervene."

"Konoha was nearly destroyed and the third Hokage dead not even a season ago. You worked with the elders and failed to give a prediction to the higher ups?" Hikari chuckled darkly, yet apologetically.

"They didn't listen. The elders dismissed it as paranoia and speculation. Lord Third did too, and for that he paid the ultimate price."

"Another claim backed by no evidence. You say you can watch over my brother and predict the future. Is there anything else?" Hikari looked down as if making a difficult decision.

"There is, but, from what I gather from you, you might not want it..." The man's eyes narrowed, waiting for her to continue. "I can use my reiki healing technique to take away any emotional pain from trauma that might inhibit your normal functioning. I can even do it from a distance. It doesn't transfer to anyone, it simply dissipates." Itachi immediately shut it down, forcing himself to speak only once of his emotions, much to his distaste.

"It is mine and mine alone." It was a decision he had made long ago. He had disgraced his village and his family by ending the lives of many people he held dear. He had killed innocent children. Living the remainder of his life in pain was only part of his punishment, and he deserved every single second of it.

"I understand that, believe me. But it does lower your chakra levels and weaken your body as well. If you were to engage in a trying battle, it might be wise to take cautionary measures." Itachi nodded, though there was a low chance of a trying battle actually occurring.

"If you can do as you say, your assets would be very valuable. Still, I'm not convinced. From all that you've told me, there is nothing that you have to contribute to a team that I could not do on my own, or a problem I could compensate for. With all of the risk involved in letting you live, it doesn't seem worth it."

"What great risk is there in keeping me alive if I am on your team, working with you? If you really read into my resume you would understand that I'm not an average, S rank Ninja. I'm your age. I joined the ANBU shortly after you left. I took the chuunin exams by myself. I might not be as strong as you, but I could probably defeat Kisame if we went toe to toe. I'm a sensory ninja and I won't be caught by the ANBU, or Root if they do dare to pursue me."

"They will definitely pursue you."

"They're afraid of me. They'll only send several at a time. And I will take care of them when they arrive. Keeping me alive guarantees the safety of the one person who still means anything to you."

"I can do it myself. There is nothing I lack that you do not. " Hikari turned deathly serious. Dying at his feet was an acceptable option for her. But not using her skills would be a terrible waste to him, more so than he knew. It was time to pull out her trump card. There was no proper way to say this. What tone of voice do you say this sentence to a man who killed almost everyone that ever mattered to him? She opted for a bitter sweet, compassionate face. She carefully tailored a soft yet resolved tone, to make it clear she was aware of the implications.

"I can talk to the dead. Three spirits that are very dear to you want to talk with you." A moment of silence as Itachi let that sink in. This girl, this ordinary looking girl who came out of nowhere, had just shaken him at the core. With a simple statement, she opened up possibilities he had never before considered. It was too much to take in for him emotionally right now, and  
it certainly was not an option he wanted to discuss with someone who had not earned his trust. The processing of that idea would have to come later. She continued. "Besides, if you lack so little, then keeping me out of the reach of anyone who might gain access to my thoughts and memories won't need to be a challenge for you. I promise, I will never burden you. Any trouble I do cause I will pay back with my help. Would you rather have to deal with the second option? The girl outside is obsessed with you."

"How do you know?" The woman shrugged.

"I'm psychic. You'll see for yourself if you tell her to go. Test me, Itachi." It didn't take long for Itachi to make his decision. The woman had intelligently and boldly planned an offer he would be unwise to refuse.

Itachi released the Genjutsu, sending them spiraling back to Earth. He gave her an approving nod.

"Let's go." They exited the room only a moment after they entered it. His group members had barely moved. Itachi took Hikari over to the panel and calmly gave his answer. "Now and from here on out, Hikari will be my team member. She has exemplary skills and is a valuable asset to the Akatsuki." The grey haired girl down below shouted out in fury.

"That's not fair! I didn't even get a chance to talk with him!" Itachi didn't even spare her a glance as she fumed.

"That's fine, but what did she tell you that only you could see?" Kisame asked him, confused.

"It's not important right now. We'll go into it later. Hikari," he addressed the girl behind him. "We'll get you settled in to the hideout with a new uniform. Come." She smiled and followed him down the stairs towards the exit. The woman reached out to him as he passed by.

"Wait! I was supposed to be the one chosen! Itachi and I are meant to be together- I have just as much hatred towards the Uchiha clan and I.." Itachi proceeded out the door with his new companion, tuning out the frantic love pleas of the desperate S-ranked fan.

Hours later, Hikari had settled in to her new room in the current Akatsuki hideout. The air was warm but the lack of sunlight gave the location a heavy, grim feeling. She looked at herself in the mirror. It was strange to now wear the cloak of a terrorist organization with a face that clearly meant no harm, but she supposed that was just a small part of the mission. A knock at her door was followed by a familiar low voice.

"May I come in?"

Itachi had removed his cloak, revealing a simple navy shirt and pants with mesh visible around the neck and a small waistband. The woman welcomed him in.

"Are you comfortable?" Itachi inquired. The woman surveyed the room, which was furnished with a simple full sized bed, dresser and desk. She smiled and nodded. There was one last thing to do before she was ready for tomorrow morning. The man watched as she took out a kunai and set it on the table next to her leaf village headband. Without any sign of remorse on her face, she slit a thin line into the metal, symbolizing her severed ties with her homeland. He had to admit, he was impressed with her resolve.

"I told Pein that your message regarded the other finalist, which is why it couldn't be spoken aloud. You had observed her earlier writing a makeshift scroll out of blood and the fabric of her dress, designed to seduce me. Make sure you keep to the story in case anyone asks. The others seem to approve of you more or less."

"Do you regret choosing me over Ms. Destiny?" Hikari joked dryly. Itachi gave a small smile and a humph of agreement. "I apologize, you must encounter girls like that often." He raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that?" Hikari quickly backtracked, realizing her statement might have sounded flirtatious, which wasn't at all her intention.

"I mean- I kept an eye on your brother remotely when he and I still lived in the village. He seemed to have a number of girls on his heels already simply because he is an Uchiha... You're his elder brother who is stronger than he is.. so I simply guessed." Itachi opened his mouth to reply, but someone knocked on the door.

"Itachi, Hikari, we will be having a meeting shortly to discuss your new mission." The muffled voice of the blue haired woman could be heard through the door.

"We'll be there shortly." Hikari glanced at herself in the mirror, wondering if she looked as intimidating as the others in the group. She put on her bold, fighter face that she used on ANBU missions, but it didn't seem quite enough for a member of a terrorist organization. Perhaps more scars would do? She lifted her kunai, drawing it up to her face. Itachi was surprised and raised his hand to stop her.

"What are you doing?!" The woman looked back, as if her action had been completely reasonable.

"I'm part of an S-rank criminal organization now. Shouldn't I look the part? It would only hurt for a minute," she said simply. Itachi tried not to show his incredulousness at her self destructive, reckless behavior.

"There's no need to do physical damage to yourself, we all read your resume thoroughly. They know you are strong enough." The woman put down her knife and shrugged. Another question formed in Itachi's mind.

"Everyone else included their surenames on their resumes and introduced themselves as such. Why did you leave out the name of your family?" Hikari gave a knowing smirk. She was going to enjoy this.

"Most of my family has adopted other surenames as they married into other clans. My family is small because my ancestors have very few direct descendants. Many of my ancestors were killed off by yours. Most of the rest married into other families when the village was founded because they did not wish to fight against the Uchiha. I did not want it to influence everyone's first impression of me or make a political ordeal." That piqued his curiosity. Political?

"Everyone will find out eventually, it's best if you just tell me now." The woman looked at him and simply stated

"My full name is Senju, Hikari. The first Hokage was my great great grandfather." Itachi's eyes shot open in shock.

"Senju… I never realized there were any in our generation that still had that clan name." She must have had an interesting upbringing.

"It's a long story-" The same woman knocked on her door.

"Itachi, the meeting is starting in one minute. Bring Hikari out now." Itachi seemed slightly irritated, clearly not appreciating being nagged or given orders.

"I'm coming, Konan." He turned again to the woman still at the mirror. "There's one last thing you said that made me wonder. In my genjutsu you said you would be happy to die at my hands if I hadn't accepted you. What did you mean?" Hikari's face turned down and her eyes darkened.

"I meant exactly as I said." Her voice was simple, yet thoughtful. "Sometimes a desire for death isn't weak or selfish or because you believe it can't get any better in dark painful times. For some, it truly can't get any better, no matter how long you endure. Death can come from selfless love. Sometimes ending ones life is the appropriate and moral action to take. Don't you agree, Itachi?" The girl looked at him with a glint in her eye. His eyes shot open. Her words made his stomach twist into knots. Were their motivations really so similar? "I guess it's time to go. They'll be waiting for us." And with that she walked out the door smugly aware that his eyes were totally glued to her as she left.

Itachi frequently viewed most girls his age as annoying. Thinking only of his brother, the village and his own death, he didn't see much of a point in connecting with them or anyone else. But Hikari Senju had opened him to realities he never thought possible. He wanted to know more.


	2. Mission Against the Leaf and Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To prove Hikari's loyalty to the Akatsuki, the team is assigned a mission to intercept an intel exchange between the Leaf and Sand. With the likeliness of her former comrades being there, and both sides unwilling to surrender, death on both fronts is inevitable. Traveling towards the Sand village, close proximity allows for the Uchiha and Senju to get to know each other better. Who knew that ancestors of bitter rivals could get along so smoothly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm posting early. Hope you like it.

Eight familiar cloaked figures stood in a circle around a lamp in the dim light when Itachi and Hikari approached. Eight figures, all looking towards the new member with battle hardened faces. Hikari met each of their eyes with the same gaze, in hopes of appearing as if she belonged in the small band of terrorists.

"Itachi, Hikari, you're late," the Leader was clearly unimpressed.

"Our apologies," Itachi stated calmly.

"This is the first time we've gathered together in person in over four months. Make sure it doesn't happen again. You each have new assignments." Their leader proceeded to assign missions to each team, varying from high profile assassinations to bounty collecting to property destruction, ending with the two of them. "Itachi, you and your partner will be given a more difficult task to ensure that Hikari is truly loyal to the Akatsuki. You will go to the Sand Village where you will intercept a mission between the Leaf and Sand. Hikari, in the Akatsuki, we give missions without discussing the reasons behind them. Not only should the reasons be unimportant to you, but they are often not disclosed to us. We simply take commissions; that is all. This mission is different, because your opponents are high ranked ninja from your former village." Hikari instantly guessed at what was coming next. "Your opponents are in the ANBU, and you were likely informed of this mission before coming here."

"Yes," she nodded.

"In order to prove your loyalty, Zetsu will be watching as you fight. He will be there in two days time to observe and record the mission. Take anyone out that you need, with no mercy. Understood? Almost synchronized, Hikari and Itachi nodded, hiding their dislike and feigning indifference. As they prepared to walk out of the meeting hall, the leader spoke again.

"Oh, and Hikari, it would be unwise to attempt another message hidden from us again. Even if it is true that your warning regarded the other candidate, no secrets will be kept from me here. I'll be watching you, no matter the distance." Hikari nodded, still expertly hiding any worry she might feel. Itachi lead her past several others on their way out. A monsterous looking man with a hood and brightly colored eyes named Kakuzu and his silver haired partner with a scythe called Hidan looked at her almost carnivorously. From their faces she could tell they believed she wouldn't last long. Still, Hidan smirked.

"Be careful you don't overdo it on your first assignment. You seem the type to die an early death, much like this one," He warned almost mockingly looking at the young man in a tall ponytail. Hikari let it slide, nodding civilly.

"Hmph, speak for yourself." He countered. "I think we chose well. Itachi's lucky to have partnered with a girl!" The loud blonde winked. At that, her guard slipped. She looked at him with distain.

"What difference does it make that I'm a girl? Is my gender more important than my skills and strength as a shinobi?" Itachi observed expressionless as her quick retort put him on his toes. He pieced together an explanation, but the woman walked past him. By the door, the woman with the blue hair from the preliminaries walked towards her. Under Itachi's earshot she whispered:

"I liked what you said back there. I'm glad they chose you." Hikari smiled back at the woman who appeared several years to a decade her senior.

"Thank you," she returned, relieved.

When they were finally out of earshot, Itachi turned to his new partner.

"Watch out for Zetsu. He's one who appears as a plant. He doesn't have long range hearing, but he can get close to spy more easily than one might think."

"It was difficult to sense his chakra signature. But somehow it seemed, familiar… Is he from the Leaf?" Itachi shrugged slightly.

"I'm uncertain. Stay alert." He lead her down the long hall back towards where they came from while Hikari reflected on their mission. To Itachi's surprise, she began laughing darkly, putting her hand to her forehead. "What's so amusing?" he inquired.

"It's just this entire situation we're in. I leave the village to take refuge with you from the ANBU and village higher ups, and after only a day we're being sent straight back to the one place that fears me and hates you the most, to kill our former comrades. What luck." Itachi gave a humph of agreement, nodding, but kept his thoughts to himself.

"There is someone I want you to meet." Down the hall he passed both of their rooms, arriving at the door at the end. Quietly, he knocked. "Kisame, I've been assigned a mission." A rough voice could be faintly heard behind the door.

"Is that so? Come in."

The blue skinned man from the competition panel now lay in bed, bandaging his sword. Two crutches rested against the wall, and a bottle of healing ointment rested on the nightstand next to him. The man shot Hikari a wide, sharp toothed grin."

"So I voted wrong. Itachi explained to me that you saw the other contestant making a scroll. You must have keen eyes to have noticed that." Hikari inwardly smirked. So he fell for the lie just as much as the others. Good. "As you can see, I've been badly injured. Both my legs got caught in an enemy's jutsu, leaving them broken in several places. So I'm glad that Itachi can take on missions in my absence. I'll give you a warning of caution though." He motioned for her to lean forward and almost whispered through his jagged teeth "Itachi can be ruthless in battle and he's sometimes stubborn. When he has a plan, it's best you follow his lead." Hikari nodded and tried to catch a glimpse of her partner's face, but found that he was facing away from them inscrutable.

Itachi lead the woman through the trees towards their new target.

"I don't sense Zetsu following us yet."

"Zetsu can't run. He transports himself or a clone through the ground and other surfaces, but not fast enough to keep up. As I said before, his hearing is in the normal human range. He'll likely catch up with us tomorrow night."

"Is he human?" Hikari inquired, masking the amusement through her voice.

"I presume he's altered his appearance through some type of technique, though the specific technique is unclear. Even so, keep your guard up at all times." Silence for a moment. It was good to know that they were out of earshot. "What is the reason behind this mission?" Itachi asked while still running.

"Due to the unrest in the Leaf and Sand after the death of the Hokage, the Sand publicly made peace with the Leaf. Since then, trade between the two villages has increased, but as a result, so have their opportunities for exchanging intel. Because the Leaf does not have a Hokage, the village elders are in charge for now. Naturally, Danzo doesn't trust their public surrender. He thinks that because the Sand is now vulnerable but less so than the Leaf, they might go back on their word. And obviously, he's even more concerned that other villages will use this chance to attack." Itachi nodded, understanding. "Three teams of ANBU are setting out to collect a scroll from the Sand regarding the weaknesses of the Village hidden in the Mist, an enemy of both Sand and Leaf. If the scroll is secured, it will mean peace between Sand and Leaf to Danzo. If we are intercepting the exchange, it means that we are fighting on behalf of the Mist. They likely intend to attack the Leaf." His eyes narrowed in a small scowl. Hikari was thankful to be working with someone who understood the political complications and inconsistencies of the Leaf Village.

"Hikari, you must do as our leader says without meddling in their affairs. We cannot afford to assist the Leaf while you're under such intense scrutiny."

"If we don't, Leaf will be vulnerable to attack without warning."

"Don't worry about that. I've been spying on the Akatsuki and sending messages to the elders since I became rogue. We can give them notice once we aren't being watched, and make preparations then." Hikari reluctantly nodded. Itachi seemed to sense her unease.

"It doesn't have to be as bad as you think. We can take safety precautions. While I was in Konoha, my goal was to be noticed as Itachi Uchiha, in order to remind Danzo that I was still very much a threat to the village if he chose to harm my brother. Now, we can disguise ourselves. It will decrease the chance more shinobi follow as we escape." Hikari shook her head once.

"Of those who were assigned the mission, one is my friend, another sensory ninja. She would be able to tell it was me even if I was using the camouflage jutsu. Also, if I am to kill my comrades, I want to be held responsible for my actions…. I'm sure you understand." He nodded.

She thought into the future of how it would feel to be going against her friends and comrades and her stomach tied in knots. They would all surely pursue her and Itachi as well. If they were to succeed at this mission, she might have to kill every single one. It shouldn't be too hard as long as he was with her, but going up against people who knew her moves, there was always a risk. Her heart settled at the thought of what she might have to do.

"Itachi, there's something I need to tell you." The man said nothing, letting her continue. "I'm a capable fighter, but I have to think about the worst case scenario. If the ANBU manage to capture me, please kill me as quickly as you can. Then, if you can, destroy any remnants of my body." Itachi looked at her, taken aback by the level of profound calmness that came from the woman as she told him that. No one was so calm in the face of their own death, were they?

"Understood. My crows can quickly destroy all traces of the deceased."

In the highest room of the main Akatsuki hideout, tucked away in a dimly lit tower, Obito gazed into a purple orb used to keep watch on the members of Akatsuki, as well as large goings on in the world he so deeply despised. He had stolen the orb from the late third Hokage just after the attack, finding it quite useful. In the orb, Itachi and Hikari leapt through the trees, unaware of his piercing gaze.

He both knew and understood Itachi better than anyone else. His talented pupil had grown under his wing ever since the night of the massacre. No, he had known Itachi even through his childhood while keeping watch on the Uchiha compound. He knew of his constant worry for his brother, his communication with Danzo and the elders, even his idealistic motivations he refused to share with anyone. There was no chance that he would have accepted Hikari Senju so easily had their secret exchange not been about their shared motives. Glancing once more at the extensive resume Hikari provided, he smirked to himself.

"A former ANBU with heightened intuition… there is no way that you don't know his secret. But if he knew the village secrets you hold, would he truly still accept you?"

Obito turned once more to the two of them, still traveling through the trees. He would keep watch on the two of them as long as they continued to live, using his mentorship with Itachi as a way to control her. If Hikari's intentions were to contribute to the Akatsuki and to collect the tailed beasts, then she was of little concern to him. Nevertheless, her abilities posed a threat to him, for what they could do psychologically to Itachi, and to his plans if she decided to save the nine tails jinjuuriki. If Hikari Senju acted against his best interests, he would have Itachi eliminate her himself.

Hikari looked over her shoulder and then above her, as if something was following them from behind. Nothing was there, and no life but Itachi's could be sensed in any direction. She dismissed it as paranoia from Itachi's warning about Zetsu.

They had been running for two hours, but the sun was quickly descending over the horizon.

"It will be dark soon. We should find a place to rest." Hikari nodded, following his lead.

"What does the Akatsuki normally do on missions overnight?"

"It depends on our assignment. Tonight, we're far enough from Konoha and other militarized cities that we can find an inn." The woman nodded, thinking of how it would be sleeping so nearby to the eldest Uchiha. But the young woman had been on more missions with men than she could count, and living closely to them was normal.

They stopped in a small inconspicuous town shortly after the sun set. Hikari was confused as to why he would stop traveling so early in the night when they could have easily gone an hour or two further, but did not complain.

"On your resume it said that you were a sensory type. How well can you keep guard for potential enemies while unconscious?" Itachi asked under his breath, as to not alter any townspeople passing by.

"Staying up to keep watch each night won't be needed. I can sense that we're not being tracked, and I'd wake if someone who meant us harm was nearby." Itachi silently handed over the money to a man working at the desk of a humble inn for travelers.

"This will be your room. I will be in the room next door to yours. If anything peculiar happens, alert me telepathically as you did in the beginning." She nodded, smiling, and made her way into the room, shutting the door behind her. Through the walls, she could hear him closing his own door and after a moment, perhaps washing up in the bathroom. Sighing, the woman crawled into bed and curled up into a ball.

In the room next door, Itachi had shut the door to the bathroom and as silently as he could, coughed into his hand to see what would happen. His chest burned from running, and his eyes ached from squinting into the evening darkness, now becoming too dim, too soon. On his hand, several small specks of blood indicated that his condition was getting worse. He grimaced, frustrated with himself.

_Damn it… I'll have to tell her soon enough, then._

The eldest Uchiha looked in the mirror and noticed that despite his age, his eyes seemed to have grown even more weary. After washing up, Itachi pulled off his shirt and selected a book from the shelf next to his bed. Tuning out the persistent intrusive nighttime thoughts, he began to flip through the pages.

Hikari closed her eyes and tried her hardest to sleep, but tonight fortune would not smile upon her. Images of visions and memories slipped in and out of her mind like storm clouds. Little did either of them know yet, this would be the first of many sleepless nights.

In the dead of night, Zetsu traveled through the ground in pursuit of Itachi's team. Together, both sides talked with each other about the news.

"I spied on our leader, he seems to have become quiet interested in this new team." The black half said.

"How would he not? The girl obviously came here for a reason that doesn't meet the eye." White Zetsu replied.

"Perhaps we can ask her what she knows," black Zetsu suggested, now clearly aware that there was something about the Uchiha that he had missed. His other half immediately dismissed it.

"Too risky. That girl is a Senju. She seemed suspicious of me at the meeting."

"Oh? Why is that?" Black Zetsu inquired.

"You know just as well as I that my body which you cling to is made from Hashirama Senju's cells and chakra. Some of the chakra that flows inside the girl came from the first Hokage as well. In other words, we can talk with Itachi, but we must avoid the girl before she senses that our energy comes from a common source." That answer did not satisfy the black one, who was eager to understand the motivations of the Uchiha.

"What harm is there in her finding that out?"

"Anything the Akatsuki knows about the two of us could eventually get in the way of our plans. It's decided. We'll avoid the girl as much as possible."

At sunrise, a soft knock on the door roused Hikari from her half-slumber. Washing up was followed by a quiet breakfast in the town, after which they purchased bento boxes and took off towards the Sand Village. At noon, they stopped to eat together side by side on a tree branch.

"How did you sleep?" Itachi inquired politely. The girl thought to herself of the night spent tossing and turning underneath the patchy maroon quilt.

"Sleep often doesn't come easy for me. But I was able to get a few hours. How about you?" Itachi thought to himself of what might be keeping her awake. He had spent the entire night reading and staring blankly out the window, thinking of Sasuke. His aching lungs wouldn't allow him to have slept comfortably even if he had been able to shut off his brain.

"I slept alright," he said, looking off into the distance. Hikari watched him take a small bite of rice and smirked. His chakra levels were lower than the night before, not higher.

"Itachi..?" she debated with herself for a moment about what type of person he was and if she could speak honestly with him. "That was a complete lie wasn't it?" Itachi looked at her then, her frank honesty catching him off guard. Hikari was not like Kisame, who could simply be lied to and dismissed. She was more perceptive and there was no use hiding things like this from her. He sighed, looking almost guilty.

"Yeah." The girl chuckled just a little, giving an empathetic smile. He appreciated that she could just come out and say things.

"You have insomnia don't you?"

"Of a sort. How could you tell it was insomnia?" The woman pulled down the long glove of her right arm, showing him a patch marked with an insignia reading 'ki'.

"It takes one to know one." She said, grimly. "A few years ago, I infused energy over time into these patches in order to prolong a battle that wont end. Fortunately, I've never been in a fight I couldn't end quick enough, so I packed the last of them in case you needed them." He looked at the small patch, interested, as she searched through the spacious pockets in her cloak. "This should last you until the end of the day." She handed him a patch, which he placed on his upper arm underneath his cloak.

"Thank you," Itachi said, genuinely.

They arrived in the Land of Wind just before evening. Because the vast majority of the population lived in the urban center, the boarders to the nation were barely guarded until the next day. Still, they both agreed to take precautions and the warm air prompted them to carry their cloaks in their arms. Beyond them, the desert was visible, but they were still under the cover of some scattered trees.

"We can set camp in a secluded area nearby. We'll have to take shifts sleeping, so we'll hunt our food now and settle down as early as possible." Hikari nodded, grabbing the bow strapped to her back.

"I'll get us some food. Would you like to find a place for us to set camp?" Itachi nodded, heading off in the opposite direction from her.

The eldest Uchiha found a small secluded gap in between the trees where he pulled out a crimson scroll. The paper was marked with several sealing circles, one which he opened. In a small cloud of smoke, two packs were unsealed containing their sleeping mats and two small pillows. After laying them out, he used wire and explosive tags to make a protective barrier between the trees, as an extra precaution.

While gathering firewood, he thought of many of the things Hikari had told him in such a short time. Her calmness at the idea of her death. Their common motives and her near desperation to be chosen as his partner. Her insomnia. Lastly, he dared let himself think about her ability to communicate with the dead, and her claim that his loved ones wanted to talk to him. At the thought, his heart filled with grief as if opening a fresh wound. He leaned against a tree to take deep breaths, and with incredible emotional control, pushed those feelings away for now. Perhaps her abilities were too much for him to bear. Perhaps they were exactly what he needed. Whatever the case, there was much about her he wanted to know. Moreover, there was much he found in her that suggested she could even be a potential friend.

Itachi arranged the little firewood he could find into an acceptable arrangement, but when he released the narrow spout of flames from his lips to ingnite it as usual, he was met with an unpleasant surprise. His stomach churned and his lungs seemed to be filled with some liquid. Itachi coughed into his hand, hacking uncontrollably. In his palm, several beads of blood glistened against the setting sun. They were bigger than the night before. It was getting worse, then.

"Guess what? We were in luck!" Hikari yelled in the distance. Hurriedly, Itachi wiped his mouth and hands of any traces of what had happened. _What luck is catching an illness that wont go away?_ He thought to himself. "It just so happens we made camp not too far from a stream. I caught us some fish." Itachi nodded, approvingly. Five fish hung from five wooden skewers she had made. The woman sat down by the small fire across from him, setting the fish down on a large leaf. Casually, she formed a hand sign and watched as the firewood Itachi had brought got bigger and latched itself into the ground. On top, she formed a small area where the fish could slowly cook over the fire. Itachi watched, smirking.

"You can use wood style," he stated. She smiled and nodded, confidently.

"I'm lucky to have inherited the gene. In my family, only my mother can use it. My grandparents and a few in the generation before me could use it too, but it's mostly died off. I can't really do any genjutsu, but I've found that some wood style jutsu can even make an opponent hallucinate." Itachi was pleasantly surprised to hear that she had referred to her mother in the present tense. She had family that was still living then. It was uncommon for many high rank ninjas to have family still alive, not unlike himself.

As the fish cooked in the fire, he took the opportunity to ask her about herself.

"So, you descended purely from Senju. I had only ever read about them in books. May I ask why?" Hikari's expression grew distant, but she feigned a small smile.

"I've only heard from stories. When your ancestor, Madara Uchiha died in the battle in the Valley of the End, Hashirama grew to believe that his identification with his clan more than with the new village was the reason for their conflict. He believed that if a village is to truly unite and become strong, the clans that made the village up should work to become more connected with each other, until the barriers between clans eventually disappeared. Love, he said, was the way to peace. He encouraged the Senju to intermarry with other clans in hope that it would create harmony and conflict between friends like his friend Madara would never happen again."

"Then why did your family decide against it? Did your grandparents not share the same philosophy?" Hikari nodded her head.

"My grandfather was saddened by the idea that the Senju clan, a group that was one of the strongest throughout history, would eventually disperse and vanish. By the time my parents were born, it became clear that the wood style kekkei genkai was less dominant in one's genes than others, and it was slowly being lost. They chose to marry less out of the fear of losing the Senju clan, and more to keep the kekkei genkai alive. When my mother discovered I possessed it, she was overjoyed. I was her only hope that it could live on."

"And you? What do you believe? Would you marry a Senju?" At that question, the girl laughed.

"Does it look like I could possibly marry anyone from the Leaf? I don't know any rogue ninjas who are married at all. Even if I hadn't been, I'm confident I wouldn't have married based on clan membership." Her voice became quieter. "Love has no clan affiliation. I share the same philosophy as Hashirama. I wouldn't cling to the past if it prevented the village from reaching a better, stronger future." Itachi reflected on her words. As the first born son of the leader of the Uchiha, he would have been entrusted with leading the clan and ensuring its survival. His wife would have been made an Uchiha by default, but he was encouraged to have chosen someone who was already in the clan. He had never even considered leaving the Uchiha name. Still, she had raised some compelling points that he would continue to turn over. "Regardless, I have very few future plans so it's a moot point." Itachi nodded.

She had no idea that if her goal was to stay with him, her plans would be cut short sooner than she expected. Additionally, she had no idea that Madara was in fact alive.

They ate in silence, to their own thoughts, until the sun went down over the horizon. Eating fish by the fire during a mission brought fond memories back for Itachi; memories of doing the same with Shusui. Itachi extinguished the fire with a water jutsu, and the two prepared their sleeping areas.

"You're absolutely certain that you could detect an enemy while unconscious?" Itachi asked once more.

"I've done it before. I can sense an enemy half a mile away. No matter though, honestly I probably won't get much sleep again. But perhaps I can help you..." she looked towards him. He waited for an explanation. "Let me use a healing technique I learned long ago. You don't have to do anything. Just try to relax and be open to receiving chakra. It's called Reiki healing, a yang release jutsu." Hesitantly, Itachi allowed her to try. Hikari raised her hands towards him from where she sat and to his surprise, he felt a slow and gentle rush of warmth flood into him. The heat rushed into him easing not only the pain in his lungs and stomach but his heart as well. When he opened his eyes, he felt as if some of the shadows in his mind had cleared. Even if it wouldn't last, it was comfortable in a way he couldn't say he had felt in years.

"Thank you, Hikari," he said quietly. She gave a small half smile. "In return, I'm certain I can get you to sleep." She looked up at him only to realize he had a hint of a small smile.

"Oh, you're right," she said, realizing what he meant.  
"Do you trust me?" He asked, genuinely wondering. She didn't have to think for more than a second. She knew the kind of man that he was.

"I trust you." Itachi's eyes glowed red and transformed into the pattern she had seen the first time they talked.

"Mangekyo sharingan," he said and instantly her head filled with clouds. In an instant, she fell onto her sleeping mat, unconscious. Itachi watched her breaths grow deeper for a moment, observing how her hair fell partially obscuring her face. Her mouth turned to a small smile as her head swam with the peaceful visions of the Leaf Village he had given her. Itachi allowed himself to admit that she had some features that were pleasing to look at, but fought the inclination to keep looking. He sighed. Even in ANBU, he had never had an outdoor mission camping with a girl his age. And while sleeping near one now would have taken a few nights to get used to, the look of her sprawled out without a hint of self conciousness made him less tense. Itachi felt the chakra she had transferred onto him fully sink in, easing the pain in his abdomen a little. He lay down with his head opposite her and let his eyes close. The pain would rise again later in the night, but now he could get a few hours of sleep, and that made all the difference. His thoughts flitted from one question to another. Had Hashirama been right? Was the dissolution of clans the best way to peace in the village? Or could clans keep their distinct identities in order to strengthen the village by learning from one another? Why had Hikari's plans for her future been cut short? What had she done to get to this point?

The girl's quiet breathing lulled him into his first peaceful sleep of the month. Tomorrow, their mission would commence, and together they would take the lives of some who even he might have worked with. But he wouldn't be doing it alone. For the first time in a while, even as he grew sick and blind, Itachi felt lucky. He had made an ally that knew him for what he was. Perhaps with time and gained trust, Hikari could even be considered a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please stay tuned for the next chapter; it's super hype and probably one of my favorites because of how intense it is. It reveals a lot about Hikari's character and the Akatsuki too.


	3. The First Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guys this chapter is one of my favorites and as one fanfiction.net reviewer put it so astutely, it's super lit.

Itachi and Hikari sped towards the sandy plains that would become their bloody battlefield without a word. Itachi wondered how the girl was feeling, knowing that in a few short hours, her comrades would die by her own hand. She appeared intensely focused as she looked ahead, but he could only guess what thoughts ran through her mind.

"We should come up with a plan. What are your preferred battle tools?" For Hikari, talking of the future sent her stomach into knots. For Itachi, he had become used to it. Still, her voice remained confident.

"I fight primarily with this bow," the girl said in her high warm voice, gesturing to her back. "When I'm close range, I use my katana as well. As for ninjutsu, I primarily use wood style. I can't use any genjutsu but my taijutsu is strong enough that there's no need." The man nodded.

"Zetsu has likely gone ahead, so he will be near the battle site. Remember, this mission is to test your loyalty to the group. I will fight alongside you and use use my sharringan and jutsu as support, but it is you who must be the driving force of this mission."

"I know." Her voice grew soft. "Against the Leaf I wouldn't have it any other way…" her statement confused him but she left it un-addressed. "The Leaf likely won't leave us alive until their last person has fallen or our lives are taken. Just back me up." At those words, she sucked up the pain she felt and shot him a warm smile, surprising him.

"It's settled then," he stated.

"Oh, and Itachi, please remember. If I die, erase all traces of my body."

In another hour and a half the sun shone brightly overhead. Hikari located the chakra signatures of the familiar leaf troops coming in from the North. Waiting for them, five others walked in a line towards the incoming allies. They would meet close to the border of both villages. Itachi silently remarked how they couldn't have been more lucky. The Land of Wind was nothing but a wide expanse of sand in all directions minus the cities near the center where water was available. This meant that their fight would run no risk of alerting more innocent shinobi to come running. The fighting could be kept to a minimum and finished quickly.

"We need to leave at least one alive from both sides if possible." Hikari said in a matter of fact tone.

"Why is that?" The woman did not smile, but a bittersweet glint shown in her eyes.

"Dead men tell no tales. Or dead women for that matter. I must give the Leaf proof that I have joined the Akatsuki."

The two S rank rogues walked towards the incoming gathering almost casually, hats obscuring their faces. Without any cover of trees, they had no choice but to announce their arrival. Not that it would make any difference.

Hikari's heart pounded in her chest, and she felt the all to familiar sensation of her heart running cold. It was a coping mechanism that all high ranked shinobi learned well. Killing ones emotions was the only way to endure the senseless killing and make it out sane.

To their right, the Leaf ANBU were coming closer. Hikari could make out one with long, dark blue hair, and a small smile appeared on her face. Just as she had suspected, it was Mitsui. Her best friend had come on Danzo's orders. The girl seemed to jolt in surprise, having sensed her.

"We're in sensory range. Leave the girl with long hair to me," she warned Itachi. He nodded.

The Sand and Leaf Shinobi were almost upon each other when they began to all notice the two cloaked figures with pointed hats slowly approaching. Itachi and Hikari walked until the three groups were clearly in view of each other's faces. There was still enough distance to begin with her bow.

"What is the meaning of this?" One sand village chuunin called out. "Who are you?"

"They hail from a group called the Akatsuki. They're a band of S ranked criminal low-lifes, all with profiles highly listed in our bingo books." The voice came from a man Hikari had known once on a long mission. He was in his late thirties with a limp. It was a miracle he hadn't been killed off already. "What do you want? Show yourselves."

Itachi removed his hat, throwing it down to the side. He must have been used to the soft gasps that escaped from chuunin and jonin alike.

"Clan Killer Itachi…" a second Leaf Village ninja said through gritted teeth. "Why the devil are you back again?!"

"We have a mission. Surrender the documents and we will allow you to live." His eyes turned towards the Sand. Hikari clenched her teeth. It was just like Itachi to offer a path with no conflict or bloodshed, even when they both knew it was highly unlikely they would listen. She caught one burley looking man glance at his pockets in surprise. He had the documents then. Another laughed.

"It's thirteen against two. Do you really think you can go head to head with all of us and come out alive?"

"That other person, they're much shorter than Itachi's partner we reported earlier. Who is it?" The soft voice of another comrade inquired towards Mitsui. All this time, her face had gone pale. She looked at the shorter one with utter dismay but words would not come. Finally, Hikari took one slender hand out of the stuffy cloak sleeve, pulling off her hat and throwing it away in one swift motion.

"Hikari…." Mitsui said with a strained voice. Tears of utter betrayal lined her eyes but she kept them at bay. Unlike Itachi, Hikari experienced the astonished gasps for the first time. The blistering sun was almost unbearable in a heavy cloak. Feeling sick and not in the mood to care about social graces, the girl also casually tore that off, revealing her fighting attire beneath. She was grateful when a large gust of wind came, cooling them all off. With unfaltering confidence and resolve, she shot both Leaf and Sand a small, half smile.

"My name is Hikari Senju. I'm new."

"But why?! Why would you leave the ANBU to work with him?!" The man next to Mitsui yelled at her. "You served the village you loved your whole life only to join the most evil man in the village's history!" His face turned red in rage and hurt. Hikari smirked and explained calmly, almost as if lecturing.

"Evil? Evil is a relative term, don't you think? Don't pretend you're innocent and uncorrupted. We're all killers. If you want an explanation, you can simply call it ideology. Then again, most of you probably won't live to remember that." Mitsui was thinking hard, and Hikari could tell she was close to figuring out the truth. She was the only one who had trusted Hikari's intuition, and Hikari had told her the reason she was kept so close to the village higher ups was to guard the village's secrets. She would have to finish this fight soon.

"Preposterous! You were loyal to all of us. You must be under Itachi's genjutsu." Another former friend.

"Nonsense. I am now Hikari of the Akatsuki of my own free will. My only loyalties are to this organization and to my partner." She shot Itachi a small smile. "If you do not surrender the documents, we will take them by force." For the second time, Mitsui spoke, holding back her tears. She looked at Hikari without hatred, and it was clear she now understood her friend's true intentions.

"Hikari, you know we cannot surrender. If you have truly chosen this path, we will stop at nothing to defeat the both of you… and take back what is ours." Her reference to Hikari's possession of the village secrets was for their ears alone. Itachi now understood the girl's friend had figured out the truth. He could take no more risks.

"Hikari, we must end this fight now. We can't afford to waste anymore time." The man's tone was almost apologetic.

"I know," she said, shooting him another small but confident smile.

"I can't stand this anymore. Please sir, give the order and let's take care of them!" Both sides agreed that the risk of loosing men was worth the success of the mission, and the defeat of common enemies. And in less than a moment, they were upon them.

Hikari strung her bow, placing three arrows at once. Itachi and her stood back to back, readying his blade.

"The larger man with the hat has the scroll. Will you take care of it?" She whispered.

"I know. I will."

And so it began.

Three arrows infused with chakra landed in the chests of three former comrades. They fell, leaving ten left. The distance closed.

In a split second, the target sand shinobi found a blade in his back, leaving the scroll in Itachi's possession. Another man swung at the Uchiha, but froze in agony as he was taken out with a genjutsu.

Two Leaf ANBU she had never met raced at her to close the distance with a large chakra infused net to capture her.

 _How courteous to try to capture me alive_ , she inwardly remarked. With one hand sign, Hikari raised wood out of the sand, binding their legs to the ground and arms to their side. They struggled together in surprise, tangled in the net side by side. Itachi locked blades with another opponent, and watched her pull two short swords out of two holsters on her belt, slashing them both in the gut simultaneously. Blood splattered on her clothes and on her face as they screamed. Hikari grimaced and her eyebrows furrowed. She saw their spirits release from their bodies. Five opponents down in one minute.

 _She's strong!_ He thought to himself in the seconds before his new opponent attacked.

Away from the battlefield and from sensory range, Zetsu peeked out of a hole in the sand, watching the two take down the last of both units. He had been 'recording' the entire battle from the beginning, to present to the rest of the organization.

"What do you know, it seems the girl will actually go through with her mission," white Zetsu said. "I didn't think she'd really turn against them."

"Hikari had different motives from the others on her former team. For some reason, she has chosen to put more of a value on a partnership with Itachi than the lives of her former comrades," black Zetsui deducted.

"I don't understand, how do we know that her priority is Itachi, and not the Akatsuki as a whole?"

"It's just a feeling for now… we should keep an eye on these two."

"Whatever the case, she looks to be as strong or even stronger than Konan. She'll be a valuable asset to the Akatsuki," white Zetsu persisted.

"Indeed, as long as she doesn't cause any trouble."

A flurry of shurriken flew towards Itachi, who was now fending off his opponent with his blade. With ease, he imprisoned the man with another genjutsu, and was just in time to throw his own shurriken at exactly the correct angles to cancel them out. The person who had thrown them was a woman, who now attacked with a spurt of water headed for him. Itachi returned with a spurt of black flames, which to her surprise began to consume the water. The woman died under another genjutsu. Itachi's eyes stung as a stream of blood leaked from his eye, and he decided to hold back on the sharringan from now on. Two sand villagers remained.

Hikari flipped acrobatically dodging Mitsui's blade ended whips. Her read rushed with chakra but with practice, she formed a hand sign to release the genjutsu.

"Change your mind!" The young woman yelled at her friend. "Change your mind and we'll bring you back to the village alive!"

"I refuse!" Hikari shouted, knowing full well she understood why. "I can't go back. No matter how many come after me, I'll never stop running."

"It doesn't have to be this way. I took care of you and supported you for half your life, and I'll support you still!" Hikari felt her heart sink at her best friend's words. With another hand sign, she formed wood around her friend's legs, drawing it up to her forearms as well. The young blue haired woman scoffed.

"We've trained together for years. Do you really think a little wood style is going to stop me?" Hikari gave her a dark, solemn warning look and glanced at her feet. Confused, the young woman followed her gaze. The wood had hardened as if it had been petrified over thousands of years. It glistened in different shades near brown, even gold. Mitsui gasped, skill having been surpassed. The girl winced, and attempted to fire a burst of lightning to free herself. It backfired, resulting in a small burst of blood to shoot up from her arms and legs. The damage was minor, but her friend winced in pain.

"If you try to break free using lightning style again, it will kill you. Stay here while I finish the others."

Itachi stood over the body of the second to last Sand village shinobi, who cried out in muffled pain for the last time. His crimson eyes stared into the terrified face of the only survivor. Itachi had seen from the beginning the last man's terror was his weakness, and Itachi would take advantage of that.

"If you approach me, you will meet your end just as he did. Run if you have the desire to live." The man hesitated, but took his opportunity at life. He ran from the battlefield as fast as he could. Itachi's eyes blurred for a moment only to return to normal. He had finished his side first.

Three leaf shinobi remained. An immobilized Mitsui, a man she was unfamiliar with, and her former captain. The captain was the biggest challenge. Itachi rushed to the side of his partner, locking blades with the man she did not recognize.

"Ochiru." He said quietly. "It's been a long time." Ochiru was a man that had worked in Root. It had been clear to Itachi even back then that Danzo had entrusted this man with a lot. Though Danzo could not trust any individual fully, this man had come the closest. Itachi admitted to himself that he would take a little pleasure from taking something so close to Danzo. After all that Danzo took from him, he couldn't help but feel justified. Ochiru looked at him with complete hatred in his eyes.

"The likes of you coming here to betray the Leaf again makes me sick." He pushed off the blade lock, setting some distance between them, never once catching the gaze of the sharingan. So Danzo had never told him the truth, then.

Itachi did not speak, instead jumping towards him with his blade. He lifted a finger to capture the man in genjutsu, while aiming at his heart. The attempt ended in surprise. As the blade reached Ochiru, he disappeared as if in a flicker, ending up behind him.

 _Shisui's ability?_ He thought for a moment. But that was impossible.

Hikari flipped backwards with strength and agility, warding off streams of electricity from the older man who had a limp. It was clear that even with impaired movement, the man was still a very capable fighter.

"Die, traitor!" He practically screamed at her. The woman made another quick hand sign, temporarily restraining his arms and legs with her wood style. She strung her bow with two more arrows and syphoned chakra into them. The man sneered as one arrow changed course leaving him exposed in two different directions, and used the escape jutsu without forming hand signs. To his surprise, Hikari vanished in a puff of smoke, onto to reappear in the place of the arrow to his right. There was no time for the man to counter attack. A split second later, the girl was upon him. She swiftly pinned his arms to his back, pushing him onto the ground using all her weight. With one hand, she pressed two fingers to the pressure points in his neck. The man fell unconscious with a gasp.

Itachi attempted two more times to corner and swiftly finish the miserable excuse of a man, each time resulting in the same flicker. After another jet of flames, the man's sleeve burned off, revealing five sharingan implants in his arms. Two remained open.

Ochiru snickered.

"A bit off putting isn't it? Danzo entrusted these to me the day after you betrayed your own people. It seems that some good does come from violence after all. It would be a shame to let the only powerful remains of the once strong Uchiha clan go to waste, however troublesome you all were." Itachi glared at the man with despise. He never even respected the Uchiha. To him, the sharingan were merely spoils of war to be used.

"They weren't yours to take."

"Power is power, and for the sake of the village I will gain it through whatever means available. Why would it matter to you if you never value the lives of the owners of these eyes?" Itachi had an answer prepared, though it pained him to say it.

"When I take the eyes of my younger brother, the power of the sharingan will be mine and mine alone. I am the only rightful heir." The man shook his head in disgust.

"Sociopaths like you make me sick. Power should never fall into the hands of one so truly selfish!" With that, the man began to shoot black flames from his arm in short bursts. Itachi dodged gracefully, but the blurriness of his eyes made it more challenging to predict where they would come from next. He needed a stronger defense. "What's the problem? Has fighting against the sharringan after killing so many exhausted the options of the infamous Uchiha?" Itachi continued to dodge, but the fight had gone on for far to long. It was taking a toll on his body.

"You greatly underestimate my abilities, and for that you will pay the ultimate price." As he spoke, the air around him began to glow a bright shade of red. He felt his skin prickle as if being stabbed by tiny needles. The man watched in surprise as the chakra around him continue to form into a monsterous skeleton. In the skeleton's hand, the Yata Mirror was used to deflect all things. In the other, the Totsuka blade.

After disabling her opponent, Hikari had begun to run towards her partner in order to back him up. When she saw the glowing red form of rippling chakra, she stopped in awe.

"Hikari, come. Don't leave my side. This will all be over momentarily." Hikari did as instructed, standing inside the glowing skeleton, whose rib cage deformed and reformed to allow entrance. "It's the Susanoo; a jutsu used by Madara Uchiha against Hashirama Senju." She nodded, recalling a picture of a blue figure with a long blade fighting against her great great grandfather from a story book in her childhood home. "This blade is a spirit weapon used to seal all souls away. My shield is said to deflect all things." The girl looked on, still astonished. If what Itachi said was true, he was virtually invincible.

"Danzo never informed me of this ability you possess. Even if you were to kill me once, I can still rewrite fate using Izanag-" but Danzo's right hand man was greatly mistaken. In a split second, he found his arm in the ethereal clutches of Itachi's sword. Hikari watched in surprise as the blade began to pull the man into the blade, turning his flesh to liquid and absorbing him. The man let out a final scream before being sealed away forever.

Itachi released the Susanoo, relieving his tingling skin. He didn't yet bother to look at the scattered bodies that lined the sandy field. Hikari looked to him, and noticed he wasn't alright. He looked at her, again with sadness in his eyes.

"Your friend knows about me. We can't allow her to live." Hikari calmly and confidently nodded.

"I know."

The young blue haired woman lifted her head as they approached. Her skin had gone pale from the slow blood loss.

"I'm sorry I took so long. You both had a lot of shinobi and I went as fast as I can," the girl apologized to her injured friend. The woman smiled sadly.

"It's alright, it means I got to see you for longer while you fought with your new friend." She looked to Itachi, this time with no hatred or resentment in her eyes.

"Only Hikari would have known that you were still an ally to the Leaf. I was the only one who believed in her abilities in the ANBU. She confided in me years ago that the higher ups had brought her to the ANBU to guard the villages' secrets and discover the secrets of other villages. That's why I knew that if she came to you, it was because you were an ally all along. I knew that if it was Hikari I met on this battlefield, I wouldn't be allowed to live." Itachi nodded, uneasy and unsure of what to say.

"It's alright Itachi, you can tell her. No one will ever know." The leaf survivor was still unconscious. Itachi did not want to tarnish the Leaf's image, even if it was to a dying kunoichi.

"I have been and will always be Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf." The woman gave a weak smile and nodded.

"You were always in so much pain while in the ANBU. You were always so uncertain the right path to take. Now you look much more certain of what to do. I'm happy for you." Her words, addressed to Hikari, reminded Itachi of his own parents, and they triggered feelings in him he hadn't felt in a while. He couldn't bear to hear her speak anymore.

"Thank you," Hikari smiled. "Now I have to let you go. I'll do it painlessly, okay?" Hikari took a tiny glass bottle out of her pouch, and formed a small wood needle. Her friend looked at her calmly put purposefully dipping the needle in clear poison, tears lining her eyes for the second time. Hikari swallowed back any fear or sadness she felt as she held it to her friend's lips. It took great restraint to keep her hand from shaking.

"Don't be afraid. Remember, I'll see you on the other side," she said. Mitsui looked at her, uncertain.

"But how can I know that for sure?" Hikari looked at her with total confidence.

"You'll just have to trust me. I promise. We'll see each other again before you know it." Hikari shot a comforting smile. Her friend looked into the girl's eyes, realizing that she was going to die anyway, and returned her bittersweet expression.

"Okay." Hikari put the poison needle between her friend's lips and let it fall to the ground. She ran her fingers through Mitsui's hair soothingly.

"I'll see you on the other side."

In a moment, the life faded from her eyes.

She smiled peacefully as she died. Their mission was complete.

Hikari watched as her friend's spirit lifted from her body, into the sky, headed to the Pure Land. Itachi didn't know what to say, but Hikari had moved her.

In another minute, the older Leaf Village man came to, with a grunt. He looked first at the scene, then at the two Akatsuki members. The man trembled in fear.

"You've been spared," the girl's voice rang out clearly. "If you wish to live, run back to your village and tell Danzo that Hikari Senju is responsible for the death of his fighters and the failure of your mission." The man came to his senses and ran as fast as he could from his fallen comrades.

Itachi watched his partner close her friend's eyelids and slowly walked out into the middle of all the fallen shinobi. She stood there, as if in thought.

Was the reason his teammate so calm to kill because she was a cold-hearted sociopath? He immediately shot the notion down. She wouldn't have been so adamant about helping him and his brother. There must have been another reason. Whatever the case, Itachi silently concluded to himself that his comrade was one of the strongest women he had ever met, both in battle, and internally.

Little did he know, Hikari was watching the sprits of their victims, finally at peace, slightly envious of them. They flew away from the corrupt and unjust world of ninja. The world she and Itachi were trapped in. Finally, after taking the lives of the shinobi she once lived for and would die for, she began to come back to her senses and into her heart.

This was the world Itachi had lived in for the last four years.

This was the life they would now share together.

The world of nation against nation, each protecting their dreams and the lives of their children at the expense of the other's suffering. The world where humans were made into tools for senseless killing and wars that seemed to have no end in sight. And the Akatsuki, fueled by all of that.

Hikari had now taken the lives of many trusted friends and allies. She had lost her best friend and her home, experiences that would no doubt add to her frequent nightmares.

This was the path she had chosen.

And yet, because she could watch their spirits free of all pain, her blood did not run cold. No, she could feel it in her bones: she was doing the right thing.

"We should be leaving soon," he said gently, in the case she was mourning. But Hikari turned towards him and still shot him a small smile.

"I'm ready." Itachi looked down as the girl walked towards him, trying to control his breathing. His head spun from exhaustion. The battle had been long. He did his best to pretend it was nothing, and together they began to run in the direction of the trees.

By the look of his energy, she could tell something wasn't normal about him.

"Itachi, are you alright?" she inquired. He didn't turn to look back at her.

"I'm fine. It was a long fight. I need to rest to regain my strength." The girl nodded, but noticed his back was slightly hunched in a way that wasn't normal.

"No, something is wrong. You can tell me-"

"It's not important right now." His tone was commanding. It was clear he wanted to end the conversation. She thought back to Kisame's words about his stubbornness, and held her tongue. But as they ran, Itachi began to cough uncontrollably. He fell behind her and when she turned around to see him, he was on one knee. What was going on?

To her surprise, the seemingly invincible Uchiha coughed up a large handful of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued! I know that was long, but a lot happened in that battle scene. That's probably the only big battle scene I'll write in this story, so sorry if anyone thought it was boring.
> 
> I wanted to give a little disclaimer. When I put the parts about Hikari seeing spirits ascend into the 'Pure Land,' it is in no way me trying to push any religious or spiritual agenda onto anyone. The Pure Land is actually an idea that Kishimoto came up with, and it's been used throughout the Great Ninja war with all of the reanimated shinobi, who all return there. Apparently, that's where fallen shinobi go according to the description. Because of her ability and my desire to have my story pretty closely tied to all cannon parts of Naruto, I felt it was appropriate to put that in there. If anyone is curious about it, you can look it up on the Naruto wiki site!


	4. Secrets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi is forced into making a choice: either open up and tell the girl how he contracted his illness and let her heal him, or continue coughing up blood. Reluctantly, he chooses the former. Who would have thought that having a new partner would be so vulnerable?

"Itachi!" Hikari gasped as she went back to where he now knelt. Lungs and stomach burning, the man inwardly cursed himself. Now he would have no choice but to tell her everything she didn't already know. No matter how hard he had pushed himself, he just wasn't strong enough. And he hated himself for that, too.

When the coughing subsided, the girl helped him up again. He wiped the blood on his face with his sleeve.

"You're sick, aren't you?" It seemed likely to her that the blood did not come only from overusing his abilities.

"Yeah..." She handed him a small turquoise pill.

"Here, swallow this. It will numb the pain you're feeling in your insides for a little while. We have to get you to a place where I can treat you!" Itachi did as he was instructed, standing up.

"It's not safe to stop nearby. I left a witness from the Sand and they might send more after us."

"Well we have to do something soon! You just coughed up a handful of blood!"

"There's a small underground inn an hour away. We have to get there before dark, but there's a small chance I won't make it depending on how fast I can make myself move. I'll be fine until then."

They arrived shortly after sundown. Hikari confusedly lead him through the run down town while he told her which way to turn from memory. It made no sense as to why he needed her assistance, but she figured it might have been because his body was weak and it was hard to walk on his own. The inn was located in an alleyway of the rather normal looking city, hidden inconspicuously by a genjutsu near the end of the alley. The door to the inn was old and rusted, but Itachi pushed it open as if he had been here times before.

"Oy, it's Itachi Uchiha," the man at what looked to be a bar signaled with his hand. Itachi spent no time on formalities.

"I need at least one room, immediately." The man at the bar looked to three men sitting at a table across from him. They began to snicker.

"Look at you, you've found yourself a girl," one said. "The last time we saw you, you had been so uptight and prudish. We had begun to think you weren't attracted to anyone. And look at you now-"

"That's enough," Itachi said, quietly but sternly. Hikari looked at him, surprised. He seemed to be the type to only snap under pressure.

"I'm his partner within the Akatsuki. He needs medical attention right now, and I'm a medic." The man at the counter looked concerned, but nodded his head.

"Right this way, but we only have one free room. You're in luck. It's a double."

Itachi sat on the edge of his bed, slightly uncomfortable. His female teammate sat beside him.

"What sickness did you catch?" She asked, in a soft concerned voice. The silence on either side of the room gave him a sense of privacy and security needed to disclose private information."

"I don't know." The woman looked him deep in the eyes, but knew he was telling the truth.

"If I'm to help heal you, I'm going to need to know what happened. Can you please tell me everything you know?" Itachi looked down to the floor and sighed. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable being near her, though having a kunoichi at his bedside certainly wasn't something he was accustomed to. The news would become her burden to bare, when he had given his all to take on the pain by himself. Now, he would have to let her in. He hated himself for his limitations. He began in a low, matter of fact tone.

"I became ill my second year into the Akatsuki, and it was my ambition that lead me to my fate."

"Fate? What do you mean?" She listened intently as he told his story.

"After the massacre, I held on to the same goals I had while living in the village. This goal required me to become stronger until I surpassed all potential opponents. In coming into this organization, I began to study under a mentor. He knew of my desire to become stronger, and for a year, I continued to develop under his watch. During training, I unlocked my Susanoo for the first time, already equipped with the Yata Mirror. Still, it wasn't enough. Fixated on my ambitions, I hungered for more strength.

My mentor spoke to me of a spirit weapon, hidden deep in the caves in the land of Rice Patties. With Pein's permission, I set forth to find this weapon, knowing that if I acquired it, I would be virtually undefeatable and my ambitions could be made a reality before I died. The blade was guarded by an elderly man who lived in the cave, who had no interest in material possessions or keeping up on worldly events. Thus, he did not know of the massacre. I fought him, but could not best him. Ultimately, I acquired the spirit weapon, but at a cost. The man who possessed the blade claimed only those whose lives had not been tainted by the killing of a comrade were deserving of such immense power. He had become impressed with my abilities, and would be dying before long. Therefore he agreed to make me the heir to the blade, but I would have to enter a blood oath contract to prove myself. He explained that according to legend, those who entered the contract with a tainted record would be cursed until their dying breath.

The contract was a risk, but I agreed to it. I lied, and claimed by life had been untainted, that I was deserving of such power. A ritual took place, and a contract was signed in ink of my own blood. Upon signing, the blade was transferred to my susanoo, and I left. Within a week, I began to feel pain in my lungs and abdomen after performing fire jutsu. After a few months, I began to cough up blood, though only in small amounts. I began to search for effective medication, but with no knowledge of my illness, everything I've tried has only lasted short periods of time. Because I am of the Akatsuki, searching for quality medics who are willing to help is nearly impossible.

"So you believe that the illness was a result of the curse that man mentioned?" Hikari asked.

"So it would seem. Over the past two years, I've experimented with several medications, none of which have stopped my symptoms for more than a month. I believe that if in these years nothing has worked, it means the illness will continue to progress... until my body can no longer sustain me." Hikari didn't even pause to think of the possibility.

"You don't know that yet. I'm here now and I can look for more treatments than you could have alone. From the amount of blood you coughed up we still have time. So don't give up just yet, okay?" The man, whose shoulders were slouched, sighed. It was no secret between the two of them that Itachi looked forward to his death. He saw both justice and relief in the idea of dying at his brother's hands. Yet Sasuke was still young. Itachi knew since their last reunion that his brother would need more time to get stronger, even years. That is why he put most of his effort on keeping himself alive as long as it would take. He yearned for death, but he would wait for it even if it meant enduring the pain of his illness.

"I wasn't planning on it. I will stay alive for my brother, for as long as it takes."

Itachi lay down on the bed, face up. Hikari smiled comfortingly and sat by his side, placing her palms a few inches over his chest. Itachi greatly disliked being touched. Rather, it was something he knew he very much needed, but he disliked contact with those he did not fully trust and connect with. Hikari was earning his trust quickly, and it certainly wasn't that the girl herself made him uncomfortable. But having someone sit over him wasn't something he was used to, and because he had never needed medical ninjutsu before, he didn't know what to expect. Perhaps it was the uncertainty of how he felt towards her that was the source of his unease. The girl seemed to sense his discomfort, and refrained from moving closer.

Behind his closed eyelids, he sensed the green light of the mystic palm. She searched through his organs, muscles, arteries, and veins to find the source of the problem.

There was damage to his lungs, that was clear. A small pool of blood collected at the bottom of his lungs, just enough to cough up some of the fluid. She moved her hand down a little lower towards his abdomen. The source of the damage in that area was his kidneys, other neighboring organs remaining unharmed. In both areas, no noticeable marks or holes could be found, leaving her puzzled.

"It hurts to breathe, doesn't it?" she asked in a gentle tone.

"Yeah," he confessed. Hikari sent a burst of healing chakra to soothe his lungs. She lowered her head, and Itachi observed how her hair smoothly fell over her face, partially obscuring her features. Her eyebrows furrowed in intense concentration. Zooming in with her mind's eye, she began to scrutinize the tissue inside and surrounding his lungs. It pushed her to her limit to look as closely as she could.

"There it is," she said to herself. "I wouldn't have noticed it had I not looked closer, because the damage is so small." Itachi looked up at her, interested. Small blood vessels in his lungs were inflamed, and several had ruptured, causing the bleeding. She repeated the same method on his kidneys and found the same thing to be true. Hikari explained that his immune system was attacking his small blood vessels, leading her to several possible diagnoses, though nothing was certain yet.

"What then, can I do now?"

"The only thing we can do before getting back to the hideout is heal the small vessels that have ruptured. It's a temporary fix, but it will stop the bleeding. Tomorrow, I'll begin searching for more medicine and supplies to help you. Can you sit up for me?" Itachi nodded and she helped him up.

She positioned her hand near his chest, still hesitating to make contact. It was strange she felt so nervous after treating many men and women alike. It was as if he was somehow different. She gave a small nervous chuckle. "If we want to get the best coverage on your lungs, I'm going to need to put my hand here. Is that okay?" He nodded, wondering if perhaps she was asking because he looked more uncomfortable than he felt.

Hikari placed her hands on his heart, moving up and down his rib cage. For the first time he noticed that despite her knack at both bow and blade, Hikari had soft hands. The glow of chakra entered him strongly, and in several minutes moving up and down, the pain began to subside. After she finished with his lungs, she sat on his other side, placing her hand on his back near the bottom of his spine. She was so close he could feel her body heat on his arm. Itachi silently remarked at how gentle she was the entire time, as if the last thing she wanted was to cause him even mild discomfort. The girl moved her hands up his back again, and to his surprise, he realized that his trust in her had almost fully formed. There was no more pain in his body.

"There, that should do it!" Hikari sat again next to him, clearly still confident in her abilities and in him. "Now you should be able to go right to sleep." In the midst of her concentration, she hadn't realized that the room had gotten much darker as the sun set completely. He moved a slender hand over the areas she had healed, pleased to find the pain was completely gone.

"Thank you, Hikari. It feels much better now. Can you turn on a light?" The girl nodded and got up to turn on the light in the bathroom before realizing the peculiarity of his request. He wasn't in pain now, so he was more than capable of doing it himself. In the bathroom for a moment, she changed into something more comfortable while out of his view. When she returned, she brought him a glass of water, then sat on the second bed.

"Itachi... could it be... are you afraid of the dark?"

"Not in the slightest." He replied, dryly. Hikari nodded her head, still confused.

"I don't understand then. Why did I have to lead you after the sun set? I mean I understand that we're in a more populated area at night, but so were we today during the battle. It's not as if we really have to pretend we're a couple after hours if you're not comfortable with that. If we explain that we're partners I'm sure people will understand-" The man interrupted her rambling with four shocking words.

"Hikari, I'm going blind." Hikari was rendered silent. The girl looked at him dumbfounded, in a concerned way.

The nearly invincible protigy of the sharingan eye was going blind? She had just watched him take down seven ninja with ease. Even with her intuition, it was the last thing she could have foreseen.

"Over time, the mangyekyo sharingan lose their light. Each time I use the ability, I progress a little further towards total darkness. In the day I can see fine, but after dark my surroundings are less visible to me. I couldn't see the town from the cover of trees." It took a while for her to process.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Is there any way I can heal them?"

"Not that I know of. The Uchiha have suffered the inevitable curse of blindness since as far back as the history shows. I presume they tried as many healing methods as they could think of." Hikari looked at the man, who she had perceived as nearly invincible now as more vulnerable than before. She could tell that he felt ashamed for exposing that vulnerability. So she smiled at him comfortingly.

"It's okay to have limits, you know? It's what make us human. I'm an S rank ninja who can't do genjutsu no matter how hard I try and up until I made chuunin I couldn't run a mile." She laughed at herself. "None of us are perfect, so you shouldn't feel ashamed for something you can't control." Itachi looked away. Clearly, it was hard for him to come to terms with his limitations, even if he could easily recognize them. He didn't put the same standards on Hikari as he did himself, because to reach his goal he needed to surpass others with his strength.

"We should go to sleep. I don't know what Pein will have in store for us when we come back." She agreed and settled into her covers, knowing full well that little sleep would come, even if she had exhausted herself in battle and in healing.

Itachi turned away from her, sighing. It hadn't been a bad feeling to have Hikari remove all the pain from his body. And she hadn't judged his vulnerabilities nearly as much as he himself did. Without the soreness of his lungs and kidneys, exhaustion quickly overcame the elder Uchiha. He fell asleep with his hand to his heart, just as she had done.

Half past three in the morning, the intuitive kunoichi stirred restlessly, mind overflowing with hazy images of past, present and future.

_...running through the halls of the Hokage's House yelling, and swinging her arms wide open._

_"It's real! Someone is going to attack the village soon with a big orange fox! You have to believe me!" Her high pitched voice rang out as loud as her lungs would allow. It wasn't more than a few seconds later when an old woman in a long ponytail snatched up the young child's little body._

_"Hush now! I've had enough of your nonsense." Her voice was harsh. "Hanami, if your child can't learn to behave herself, I'll have to have you both leave." Hikari looked up at her mother, every fiber of her being wishing for her mother to support her and help the elders and Hokage listen. Her mother looked at her with uncertainty, embarrassment, and finally doubt in her eyes. She kept her mouth closed, and turned away..._

_...Slicing the throat of an older leaf ninja wearing an otter mask. He gave his last strained dying scream, and she watched his spirit fly away. Her stomach twisted into knots and her fists clenched, trying not to vomit from the disgust at the situation. Turning around, Danzo stood behind her expressionless._

_"That's it girl, now onto the next one"..._

_..."If this mission goes as planned, no one will ever know what we did here," Mitsui said, prying a kunai from her victim's cold, dead hands. Hikari shook her head._

_"It doesn't matter if no one ever finds out. This is immoral and it goes against everything our village once stood for!" Mitsui came over and rested her hand on her friend's shoulder._

_"That might be true, but there's nothing we can do about it. We're just following orders. The blood is on the Hokage's hands, not ours. Just try to think of it that way and maybe it will give you peace."..._

_...A man in a dark hooded cloak, looking over a purple orb. Inside the orb, an eye formed looking straight at her..._

_...And Sasuke, who was soundly sleeping in his bed. As if looking from overhead, Hikari saw the snake sennin watching him from the door of the room..._

Hikari woke with a gasp. It took a moment to recognize her surroundings before she realized where she was. Itachi stirred in the bed next to her, back facing away, but after unconsciously realizing it was her, he fell back asleep.

The next morning they headed back towards the hideout, returning in only a short time. Pein greeted them upon arival, and escorted them to the cave where they had met other members only a few days prior. The man with the blonde hair, Diedara, had not yet left on a new mission. Konan was also present. Pein displayed the video of Itachi and Hikari fiercely taking down eleven shinobi for everyone to see. Hikari's fists clenched under her cloak at the feeling of reliving the battle again.

"You're kinda brutal, aren't you?" Diedara asked almost as if intimidated. Evidently, slashing through two opponents simultaneously with a net and getting her clothes dirty meant that she had earned his respect.

"It's decided," Pein concluded. "You have proven to be an invaluable member of our organization. You will continue on missions with Itachi from now on."

After the brief meeting, Diedara approached the young kunoichi with a sly grin.

"So it seems like I had you wrong. You're not some weak girl fanning over Itachi, are you? You're one of the guys, yeah." Hikari looked at him straight in the eye with conviction.

"Are you really still going on with the idea that girls can't be strong? I have to be 'one of the guys' to do what I do? It's honestly getting so old," she said, attempting to walk away.

"Okay, I get it. Sorry for being a jerk, yeah." She smiled.

"You are forgiven." The blonde chuckled.

"Really though, if you ever want, we can totally hang out and train, yeah!" Hikari thought about it and then smiled.

"Okay..."

Outside the meeting place, Itachi stood outside, making sure he was alone. Soon, a figure appeared from a portal in the air. The cloaked man spoke in a low voice.

"You're back. And I'm assuming it went well?" Itachi didn't bother with a greeting.

"Hikari fought just as well as any within the Akatsuki. She will be my partner until Kisame recovers."

"Very good. Convenient in fact, because I'm going to make her your training partner. If she's as good as you say, then perhaps the Senju and yourself can go up against each other on the same scale I once did with Hashirama." Irritation grew in Itachi's chest.

"You wish to witness an Uchiha fighting and defeating a Senju so you can relive your glory days? You can't rewrite history." The masked man shook his head, avoiding a short lecture from the still teenaged Uchiha.

"You've got it all wrong. I only wish to observe how the both of you compensate for your weaknesses against each other." Itachi was not naive enough to believe him for a second. But he held in his retort.

"Very well." The masked man disappeared into the central point of his eye once again, leaving Itachi alone.

In her room, Hikari finished cleansing herself of her previous mission and was in the midst of organizing her weapons the supplies she would need to collect treatments for Itachi. She heard a knock on the door, and assuming it was Itachi, invited them to come in. It was not the guest she expected.

It was Kisame.

The tall, muscular, blue skinned man stood in the doorway with a toothy grin. He was supported by two crutches.

"How did the mission go?" He asked, seeming almost overly impressed that she was alive and he was standing in front of her.

"It went well. I left two survivors who will report to their villages that I have joined the Akatsuki. Nothing else happened." The man chuckled.

"You're not as good a liar as Itachi is, are you? I know what must have happened." Hikari raised an eyebrow, waiting. If he was going to suggest they had been romantically involved in any way, Kisame was even thicker than she thought.

"He had another episode didn't he? Caughing up blood?" Hikari didn't bother hiding her surprise.

"Wait.. You know?"

"I know. Come help me down the stairs and walk with me outside, there's something I need to talk with you about."

Hikari was both impressed and unsettled with the way in which he forced himself to move through the pain he must be feeling in his legs. It was a testament to his toughnes, perhaps that he could walk with two partial casts on his legs. Kisame lead her out of the meeting cave where no one was within earshot before speaking.

"I first realized Itachi was sick when he began leaving on short trips a while ago. After using firestyle or sharringan for a long time he would often disappear in the night for a little while. I would have assumed he was just using the restroom or taking part in other outside personal business with a spy if it weren't for my heightened sense of smell. He underestimates how well I can smell even the slightest hint of blood." Hikari had had him wrong. Even with his brutish appearance, Kisame was very perceptive.

"He did, and it was bad too," she admitted. The man gave a grim chuckle.

"Then it's good I didn't wait any longer to set up a way for him to find a healer."

"What?"

"I asked him if he was alright, but he never opened up. When I realized his attempts at treating himself were failing, I took matters into my own hands. I'm sure by now you realize how hard it is for him to ask for help. He's extremely stuck in his ways sometimes." The girl nodded, still confused. Kisame looked at her with a small smile.

"On my last mission of ours, I set myself up to get injured. I wanted it to look like my enemy had almost bested me. I let my legs get caught in his attack instead of dodging in time." Hikari looked at the tall man incredulously.

"Wait what?! You broke both your legs? You got injured on purpose?!" The sharklike man gave a toothy smile.

"I knew that I was valuable enough to the Akatsuki that they would give me my time to heal if I were unfit for combat. Afterwards, I confided in Pein behind Itachi's back, explaining that he would need a temporary partner who could use medical ninjutsu. We crossed out every candidates medical experience on their resume, so he didn't know that each perspective partner had the potential of healing him. Itachi is perceptive, but there are still ways of getting things past him." Hikari couldn't believe it. "I couldn't have let him continue to help himself if his body was failing him faster and faster. He's the strongest of us, and we need him if we want to track down all the jinjuuriki."

Hikari couldn't help but to respect Kisame's loyalty to his organization, and to his partner, which was so great that he would literally give up the use of his body and endured months of pain to save them.

"Whatever the case, healing broken bones is an incredibly difficult task, even for advanced medics. I should be in recovery for at least another half year, which will give you time to work with Itachi. Do what you can, and we'll decide what to do with you." Hikari felt a lump in her chest at the thought of how little time they had together.

"It's a pity..." she began but decided to hold her tongue.

"What? That your time with him is limited?" Her eyes fixed on a moth flying just above the grass nearby.

"I've only been his partner for a few days, but I think we work well together. I would have liked to get to know him more..." The shark man gave a dry laugh.

"It's not surprising a girl your age has taken interest in him. He's always been a target for the ladies, though no one knows if he's entertained even one of them." Hikari scowled at him, taken aback.

"That's not the reason!" The blue hued man smirked.

"Just kidding. Still, the two of you will be working together for quite a while. I won't be surprised if-" He stopped mid-sentence, as they heard and sensed a familiar figure approaching. "Speak of the devil," Kisame whispered.

"What are the two of you doing out here? If anything, it looks as if you're withholding information from me," Itachi spoke in a plain, unaccusing tone as he approached them.

"We were just discussing how long it will take for me to heal before I can rejoin you on our missions," Kisame half-lied expertly. Itachi seemed to almost ignore the attempt.

"Hikari, there's something I need to tell you."

Itachi lead the girl deeper into the forest, away from the hideout and from Kisame. Once they were again out of earshot, he turned to her.

"On my mentor's orders, I have been temporarily excused from missions. He is the only other person who knows of my illness. He's asked you to gather any medicine you might need for the next two weeks, and return to me. After treatment, if my body allows it, I am to begin sparring with you." Hikari blinked first at the indication that Itachi did not know of Kisame's secret, and then at the thought of fighting against the Uchiha.

"I'm to be fighting... against you? But why if you are my teammate?"

"My mentor has taken an interest in your skills and heritage. He believes we can grow stronger quicker together than apart." Hikari thought to herself. Her head buzzed at the thought of his fascination in the Senju.

"I see... I'll leave immediately." Itachi thanked her and she turned away to leave. "Oh and there's something I have to tell you." The Uchiha waited silently for her to continue. "There aren't just two others who know about your illness, there are four. Kisame realized when you began coughing up blood. He injured himself and arranged the medic teammate selection with Pein's approval." The man raised his eyes slightly.

"Oh he did, did he?" After thinking over the sequence of events in his head, Itachi had half suspected as much to be the case. With his strong skills in deductive reasoning, it did not come as a strong surprise.

"It's up to you of course, but if I were you I would talk to him and thank him. You have a devoted friend." Itachi nodded, hiding any other thoughts that might have been swirling in his head.

Hikari left soon after, in search for herbs and rare medication for her comrade. In the days that would follow, Itachi would spend his days in bed, turning over every interaction he had with the young Senju kunoichi thus far, and awaiting the day when their skills would be tested head to head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Note about how Itachi got his Illness:
> 
> For many years I have been researching Itachi in depth to get a clear understanding of his character and answer the unanswered questions. One of these big questions is what illness Itachi had and how he caught it. I spent hours upon hours reading forums, looking into the medical field, and sifting through the many sources Kishimoto used to create the characters in Naruto.
> 
> Several years ago, I stumbled upon a translation of the same legend that he used to create much of the Uchiha clan: the Japanese myth of the Eight Span Crow. In this translation, I discovered that it mentioned a ritual that could take place, and after swallowing a gyo-o, if someone was a liar, they would cough up blood and eventually die. So if we want to get the most canon idea of how he got his illness, it is because Kishimoto was using that part of the legend as symbolism, inspired by it and using it in his illustration of Itachi's death. (After all, Itachi was filled with lies.) I used this information to develop Itachi's backstory in this chapter. His ambition to become super strong talked about in this chapter is something I got from reading the full english translations of the Itachi shinden, where he talks about his dreams and goals even while in the Akatsuki. He was extremely ambitious in his quest for peace, and I used that to create a reason for catching the illness in the first place. In addition, I have perused through tons of sources to determine the illness he had. In the end, the most convincing argument I have come across is a rare type of acute vasculitis, symptoms from which I have illustrated here as well. My methods aren't super important to the story flow, but I wanted to give that information for those who might have questions, qualms, or curiosity!
> 
> I know this chapter covered a lot of brief scenes, but it will get more exciting next chapter. Hope you all continue enjoying!


	5. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning a quest to heal his chronic illness, Itachi finds his mind buzzing with questions about his new teammate- some troubling. Above all, he wants to know what kind of a person she is. Acquiring his answer, the two begin training together, in hopes of satisfying his mentor, and showing each other what Uchiha and Senju are made of. Through exchanging thoughts and blows, it becomes clear that the two are a good pairing as a team of shinobi. Even more so, the two will make even better friends.

Hikari picked the last herb she needed from the ground as her head flashed with a new intuition- Sasuke had successfully learned to fight with his curse mark, and Orochimaru had begun to make preparations for a transfer into his body once his current one expired.

"That explains the dream I had a week ago..." she said to herself, hauling the large sack of herbs over her shoulder. "I hope Itachi is feeling alright..." Dutifully, the girl headed West to the hideout, half a day's travel away.

Itachi leaned against his window overlooking the forest, towards the East. His lungs had grown sore, though thanks to her mending the inside of his body, he hadn't coughed up blood.

'Hikari, come back soon,' he thought to himself. It wasn't just in hopes of curing his illness that he wished for her fast return. Over the past week, questions had been whirling around in his head about her. He had to have the answers. He hated to admit it, but it was as if in the time since she entered the organization his fascination in the girl had become a fixation. It was understandable, he thought to himself, that after years of solitude without truly talking with anyone, that he would feel this way. She had presented new ideas to occupy his mind. He wanted to investigate and understand what kind of a person she was. There was another feeling nagging at him, one he couldn't shake. The fact that she had taken the lives of her comrades with such ease, without any visible remorse bothered him. He would hear her defense and make his final judgement of her overall character when she returned.

No sooner had he set his plan, did he feel the presence of another enter his room. Through a familiar vortex in the room emerged the figure of his mentor. Itachi scowled.

"Madara-sensei, how many times have I told you to knock before you enter my bedroom?" The masked man chuckled.

"I keep your secrets and let you hide within my organization. I am old. The least you can do is let me transport myself in the way I feel most comfortable. Besides, would you rather explain to the group the reason for dim witted Tobi entering your room?" Itachi turned his head to the man.

"Your organization would never capture the nine-tails if it wasn't for my being here. I repay your hospitality with my service. If you're so eager to not travel on foot, find me when I'm somewhere else. You spend enough time spying on us I'm certain it won't be troublesome for you." Madara raised his arms and shrugged in defense.

"Relax, relax. I simply wanted to notify you that Hikari should be arriving some time this late afternoon. I'll give you time for your body to heal. When you are ready, your training with her will begin." His body began to swirl up into the central point in his eye. "Oh, and Itachi, if the two of you decide to take too much time, I'll fight her myself."

Itachi let the threat hang in the air as the man completely disappeared into the air once more.

Hikari opened the door a few hours later, with large bag in hand, panting. She must have rushed here fast.

"Hikari, where have you been?" Deidara asked.

"What's in the bag?" Sasori looked at her suspiciously. Itachi opened his mouth to greet her, but before he could say anything, she simply pointed straight ahead in the direction of Itachi's room.

"Let's go upstairs." Itachi nodded, and gladly got up from the table, Hikari following behind. The other two looked up at them, now befuddled.

"You're not going to answer our questions? What's in the bag that's so urgent you have to go straight up to Itachi's bedroom?" Deidara asked, suggesting a perverted guess as to what their plans were.

"It's not like that, Deidara! You'll both thank me for what's in the bag later." Hikari wasn't focused on coming up with an extra convincing story for the two of them. Her only focus now was to heal Itachi.

Ten minutes later she sat at the table in Itachi's room crushing rare medicinal herbs in a metal bowl while Itachi watched from his bedside.

"Did you know that Sasuke has a curse mark from Orochimaru?"

"Sasori told me it was likely. Did you travel to spy on my younger brother?" Itachi's voice lifted as if in interest.

"I told you before, I don't need to." Itachi left her comment alone, listening to the muted scrape of metal against metal. "It's remarkable that he survived the mark alone. I had a vision this morning that he's now able to fight while suppressing the mark's chakra. Orochimaru is making plans to take his body after his current one expires," Hikari's tone was casual, contrasting her claims. Itachi's stomach lurched for a moment, before remembering Sasori's mention that it would be another two years before his body would need to switch vessels. "What should we do?" He sighed, releasing the tension in his stomach.

"Nothing. Not for now. We have two years before that time will come, and in that time Orochimaru can make him stronger." Hikari looked at him, concerned and empathetiec, but nodded. In a while, Hikari got up and left for the kitchen, returning with a cup of hot water, which she set on the table to cool.

"When I got here you told me your lungs were aching. I need to come look at the vessels that ruptured before." Itachi nodded, allowing her to come sit next to him on his bed. Hikari pushed her long hair to one side of her face and placed her hands on his chest. Itachi watched as the sea foam light emerged from her palms, feeling less uneasy than the first time. Hikari closed her eyes and looked past his rib cage and muscles to his lungs, squinting until her minds eye hit its target. "You're just bleeding a little, in the same place. Does your lower abdomen hurt too?"

"No."

The girl began to let a steady stream of chakra into his body, filling him with a light warmth. While she did, Itachi's mind swarmed with questions. His fixation on her almost intimidated him.

"Last week during the battle, you appeared to have been unaffected by the death of your former comrades. You told your friend that you'd see her 'on the other side' as she died. Is your belief in a heaven really so strong it rids you of pain or remorse?" Hikari gave a soft, dark chuckle.

"There is a difference between belief and awareness. And there's a difference between a permanent heaven and the Pure Land. I can explain it to you, but it's going to take some time." Itachi stayed silent, awaiting an explanation. 

"A belief is simply a thought repeated over and over. When you think something enough, whether it's a thought you agree with or an idea shared by those around you, the more it gets in your head and the more the mind becomes comfortable in that thought pattern. It turns into a belief, more fixed because it's uncomfortable to challenge pre-existing patterns in the mind. These beliefs determine our subjective reality, and they're completely relative." Itachi smiled to himself. He had no idea she was also philosophical.

"Then, you subscribe to the idea of an absolute reality?"

"It's more absolute than mere belief at least. And that's where awareness comes in. Awareness is based in consciousness, something you can't shake no matter how hard you try. The only difference between me and most people is that I am conscious of more. I have a story for you...

Imagine if you had been kept indoors, in a big house without doors or windows your whole life. The people in this house have never even heard of anything beyond what they know inside until one day, someone appears in the house out of nowhere and tells you about this thing called the sky, and this outside world with grass and sunlight and trees. Most people would call the person crazy, but some in the house might like the idea and choose to believe in it. They might find it so appealing they create an entire belief system around this person's story. Still, they have no way to prove it to themselves because they have never seen or felt the things in an outside world.

Then one day, this strange person leads you into a room inside the house you've never been inside before. In fact, most people simply aren't able to find this room at all. And there is a door. You go outside the place you have always been, and for the first time, you see the sky. You see the trees. You can touch them with your hands. You no longer just believe that they exist, you are conscious that they do. I imagine such an experience would be overwhelming for you, and you might try everything in your power to tell yourself it isn't real. But you simply can't un-see what this person has shown you. When you go inside again, you can choose to tell people what you have experienced. But most people refuse to believe you. They might even go searching for the room, but for some reason they just can't find it. You no longer just believe in the sky, you are aware of it.

I don't believe in the Pure Land, I'm aware of it. I know it's there because I can perceive it with my extra senses. I can get into that room, and I can see the door, so to speak. And yes, I suppose it does help me cope with the pain of endless killing. After all is said and done, I can watch their spirits go to a better place, out that door. They can finally be free from the chains that bind them." Her voice lifted as if enjoying the idea. It roused a feeling from his gut that he could only describe as longing. She chuckled again, darkly. "As for remorse, no sane person with half a heart can kill without hint of remorse, especially when they were your comrades. The guilt and trauma of killing a comrade sticks with you for the rest of your life. I'm sure you of all people can understand that."

Itachi didn't want to talk about his past trauma, but her statements resonated with him as well. He might not be certain her reality was any more objective than his own, but her heart and morals were in the right place. Hikari finished her treatment, taking her hands off his chest, but a curious Itachi turned to inquire further.

"And what happens when a soul enters the pure land? Do they stay there forever?" Hikari shot a half grin at him.

"I suppose it goes back into belief again. I like to only accept what I am aware of as fact. So I'm not sure! I've channeled spirits in the past and not been able to channel them again, as if they've turned into something else. So it makes the most sense to me that they are born again into this world. Whatever the case, the Pure land seems not to be permanent." Itachi nodded his head. He did not believe in a higher power who would leave the world in so much pain. His life had beaten any faith he had been taught by the clan out of him. But he did have the sense of a soul which moved from this life in some way. In addition, he had often felt as if perhaps his gifts had come from simply knowing more than he had been taught, as if saved from another life. Though he was still unsure, reincarnation was a notion he was comfortable with entertaining. Looking away, he asked his last question for the day, unwilling to risk revealing the extent of his curiosity.

"Then my family.. the three people you mentioned that day... you will channel them from the Pure Land?" the girl smiled tenderly, knowing it was an extremely tender subject for him.

"When you're ready. Take as much time as you need." Itachi silently thought to himself. It would take more time before he could muster up the courage to face them, or face the disappointment of realizing she was only lying to herself and pretending to channel them. She seemed to guess his thoughts. "Do you like tea?" Hikari changed the topic with a caring grin. Itachi looked at her and then the steaming cup, nodding. Hikari grabbed the warm herbal solution and handed it to him. "This is the first medication we will try to cure you. It's made from a rare wildflower my mother taught me about when I was young. The only side effect you could feel is slight dizziness-" Itachi took a sip, and immediately choked. The bitter taste took him by surprise.

"You weren't supposed to drink it yet!" Hikari chided. "Here, I brought some honey to make it sweeter." Itachi let her pour a good amount in before drinking again.

"Mmm. Much better. Thank you, Hikari." She chuckled.

"No problem."

The woman checked in on Itachi each day, measuring the progress of the medicine he drank the tea. A week and a half went by without any sign of damage to his organs, much to their pleasure.

Now, Itachi stood in one edge of a grassy expanse, wind blowing his hair back from the impact of his partner's jutsu. A small forest had risen from the grassy plane, with tree branches hurtling towards him. Pain sat on a rock nearby, observing in place of Madara. Itachi made a single hand sign, shooting red hot flames towards the wood in an attempt to incinerate the wood and trick her at the same time.

"Phoenix flower jutsu!" It was a jutsu she hadn't seen before. Shurriken shot out of the flames, headed for her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, then sent three arrows through the small holes in the center of each shurriken, pinning them to the bark of a branch. Itachi looked to his right, where one arrow headed for his head, controlled by her chakra. He set it on fire, then ran towards her with the intention of fighting hand to hand. At the very least, it would hopefully prevent her from producing more wood.

Hikari sent three hard kicks in his direction, which he countered, and dodged his punches smoothly. They traded blows several more times, at which she smirked with a burst of confidence. It was clear she was stronger than him at taijutsu. She had him right where she wanted him. The girl sent several more swipes in his direction, three punches hitting. Itachi sent her a surprised look, but she didn't let up. He was on the defensive, and moving backward. Hikari gave an almost evil chuckle, making two hand signs through the spar.

"Careful on your toes!" She warned him, but it was too late. Wood surrounded both of his feet, growing up his legs, pinning him in place. Another branch spiraled around his torso, trapping him.

"That's enough, finish the fight Itachi." Pein ordered.

"I can easily fight you while completely immobilized," Itachi said calmly. Hikari was confused, but continued her barrage, about to pin a kunai to his neck. Itachi's eyes turned red and a wave of chakra flooded her mind. A high pitched sound seemed to ring deep in her ear drum, also knocking out her vision.

"Aghhhhh!" Hikari dropped her knife to clasp her ears with her hands, looking almost as if she intended to drown out the genjutsu with her hands. She hunched over, yelling in frustration. Even in the genjutsu, Itachi saw a self depricating smile cross her lips. Then she began cracking up, laughing at herself. He released the jutsu and chuckled at how pathetically bad she was against his illusions, and how she could be in so much pain and still laugh. Hikari released her wood style, freeing him and gave him a playful punch on the arm.

"Not fair! We were only supposed to use ninjutsu and taijutsu." Pein walked over to them from where he sat.

"Until I told him to finish the fight. From now on, Itachi's mentor has instructed me to work up to using all of your abilities in each battle." Hikari nodded, smirking.

"Then bring it on. I have more tricks up my sleeve."

That evening, Hikari heard a knock and a familiar voice her door.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course, Itachi." The young man entered having removed his cloak, hair still looking more tousled than usual from her jutsu.

"I think I'm in need of your healing again." She raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" He simply lifted up the side of his shirt, revealing a sizable bruise on his left side. Her eyes went wide in concern and guilt.

"Did I do that!?" He nodded.

"I think you might have broken my rib." Hikari inwardly swore, and rushed to him, bringing him over to sit on her bed.

"I'm so sorry, Itachi. I'm so so sorry!" Her hands began to glow sea foam green. Itachi silently remarked that although she fought with such boldness and ferocity, she treated him with such care. It was clear she was devoted to the cause of healing him. He smiled.

"It's alright, Hikari. Your taijutsu is exceptionally strong. Just be careful when we're sparring." As she pressed her palms to his side, Itachi noticed they were shaking.

"Is everything alright?" Hikari chuckled to herself.

"Yeah, I think I'm still recovering from your genjutsu. I'm just a little dizzy, it's nothing." Itachi considered her substantial weakness to genjutsu.

"Look into my eyes." She looked up from her work, which had been completed. Itachi's eyes glowed red as he visualized soothing sensations and in an flash she blinked. "Better?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Thanks for healing me." She chuckled again but this time to her great surprise, he was laughing with her. Hikari had never heard him laugh, let alone really watch him genuinely smile. She couldn't help but admit his smile looked good on him. But she looked away before she was looking for too long.

"We compliment each other well, Senju."

"We do indeed, Uchiha." And for the first time, she she truly felt his acknowledgement as a teammate. More than that, she felt his acknowledgment as a friend. Itachi looked as if he was going to say something, but then to both of their surprise, his eyes widened and he winced. He bolted upright headed for the door, but didn't get there in time. Itachi began coughing hard with his hand over his mouth. "Itachi!" She got up and walked to him just in time to see several small red beads of blood in his hand. Her heart sank as she watched his eyes grow concerned. Hikari clenched her fists in resolve. "It's going to be okay. We'll just move on to the next one."

A week later, the two of them walked down the stairs for breakfast. Several group members were down there, drinking tea and eating rice and eggs.

"Hey, our thanks for those energy boost patches, girl. They make this grueling business less tiresome," Sasori mumbled through sips of tea.

"Yeah, now I can get a mission over with and be back here in half the time," Hidan added. Hikari halfheartedly smiled and nodded while Itachi fixed the both of them breakfast. A while later, Pein opened the door to the communal kitchen and looked to them both.

"Itachi, you have a new mission. And of course your partner is coming with you. You are to begin locating the Four Tails jinjuuriki."

That evening, they headed up the stairs to pack in preparation of their next journey. Itachi mumbled to her under his breath so the rest couldn't hear.

"Pack your next antidote, in case this one fails while we're away." Hikari nodded, eyes looking down and brows furrowed. "Is everything alright?" She shook her head no.

"I had a vision an hour ago. They're after us again."

"Who?" just has he asked, he figured the answer out himself. His partner answered his grave thoughts.

"The Leaf."


	6. The Second Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancing on the edge of death, Itachi and Hikari are forced to fight the ghosts of their pasts. 
> 
> Literally. 
> 
> In an all out struggle between the two rogues and a Leaf pursuit team stronger than before, the forest moves like waves spitting poisonous needles, seemingly ablaze with the red ether of a Susanoo. The two can outrun shinobi of the hidden Leaf. But even they cannot escape the shadows their village burdened them with.

Itachi left with Hikari the next day. Kisame had bid them with a bitter farewell, wishing only to go along with them. Now, the two walked away from the hideout, feeling guilty with the knowledge of all he had sacrificed.

"The Four tails performs lava style jutsu and originates in the village hidden in the stone. We'll head there to begin our search before-" Itachi began instructing, before realizing that his partner's presence was no longer beside him. He turned around to find the girl sitting in the grass just behind him, in a meditative stance. "Hikari, what are you doing?"

"Just one moment," the girl answered, eyes closed. Itachi waited as patiently as he could for an explanation before Hikari's hand outstretched in front of her, pointing into the distance, then changing the angle similarly to a compass. She landed at a point just to the right of him, leading them to the northwest. "He's not in the village hidden in the stone. I sense him further West than that, closer to us. I see he's staying at an inn."

"Are you certain of this?" Itachi asked, still skeptical. Hikari stood up, rejoining him.

"Yes. We should head in that direction, and I'll stop along the way to route us. We must still travel East towards the Hidden Stone, but I don't think we'll get that far."

"And what of the ones following us?" Hikari gave a sly smirk.

"We evade them while we can, fight them when they get close. They're probably Root and Anbu like before. They shouldn't be a problem."

"Alright. Let's head through the Sound Village. If we take a ship and travel around the neighboring lands, we run the risk of being recognized. Furthermore, the Leaf could intercept us on the water, weakening the both of our attacks.

"But the Sound is where Sasuke is... isn't that a larger risk? Both of us can fight using water style, and technically I can make a ship..." the girl shrugged.

"It would need sails. Besides, you need to save your chakra. We must travel quickly, and the Sound are enemies with the Leaf."

The two took of through the forest, stopping occasionally on a tree branch so the girl could route them. They stopped to catch lunch by a river, and cooked over an open fire.

"Sasuke's less than several kilometers away," Hikari stated calmly, without a hint of tact.

"I know," Itachi answered, expressionless. Hikari wasn't falling for it.

"You want to pay him a visit, don't you?" Her eyes, which sparkled with a hint of amusement, looked deeply into his now irritated ones.

"We have to hurry if we want to evade our pursuers."

"The circumstances don't change what you want. You can still want to do something and be unable to do it." She twirled a long strand of her hair on her finger casually, teasing him. Itachi responded by sending a small burst of water at the fire, as to obscure her intruding eyes with smoke and got up headed for the forest. Hikari followed him with a chuckle.

"We should set camp when we reach the next land. It's unwise to stay here." She nodded in agreement.

In the evening before the sun set, they set camp in between the Sound and Stone. " After a quick dinner of rice and fish they had caught in the nearby lake, they both erased the fire in case it was discovered by trackers.

"You are positive that the ones hunting us are no where near here?" Hikari closed her eyes once again in search of their pursuers.

"I'm positive. They've set camp in the outskirts of the Leaf Village on the border of the Hidden Sound. They must be trying to conserve their strength because they know who they're up against."

"How many are there?"

"I see only three teams of three, all ANBU." Itachi lifted an eyebrow.

"We took down twenty shinobi between the two of us before. These must be higher ranked ninja. Can you assess their strength?"

"Not from this far. Maybe this is a last ditch effort and they can't afford to risk the lives of more people."  
"It's best we take all precautions and assume them to be at least A and B rank. We'll take turns sleeping tonight." Hikari nodded, understanding.

"I suppose the only thing to ask ourselves then, is who will have the least difficulty conquering their insomnia," the girl gave a dry smile. Itachi gave a hmph of agreement.

"If the pursuers are settling down now, there's a higher chance they'll begin pursuing us in the early morning. I'll stay awake now, and you can use your sensory abilities as sunrise approaches." Hikari looked down, skeptically. There was nothing like an oncoming storm of violence to set her nightmares alight. Itachi read her distress. "Look up at me," his voice was soft and gentle. She did so unsuspectingly, and his eyes flashed red, sending her into a spiral of calm. The girl collapsed onto her mat with a look of bliss on her face. She would be dreaming in an hour. Itachi stood up and spread her blanket out on top of her. He looked down at her face, and a pang of something he couldn't describe pulled at his stomach. He got up and pushed it away.

_"Danzo has another mission for us," Mitsui approached her way too calmly for the situation at hand. Hikari, aged sixteen, grimaced at the bitter taste that filled her mouth._

_"No. I can't do this anymore." Her blue haired friend patted her on the shoulder gently._

_"You're an A rank shinobi and a Senju. You're ancestors are the reason for these secret missions, so you're the only one who can. It will only take an hour. They know too much. We just have to find them and take them out and we'll be home before dinner. I'll treat you to some dumplings. Wouldn't you like that?" Mitsui was her closest friend, and like the loving mother she never had. But sometimes she couldn't help but to question her judgement._

_"Dumplings? We're going behind the public's back and acting against everyone's interests accept those involved. Innocent people who put their faith in this system are getting hurt and meanwhile we'll just be sitting back, eating dumplings?"_

_"Look, I know it feels bad to be keeping secrets, but they can't know the big picture. The village would fall apart as we know it! We know the full story and besides it's not like we really have much of a choice anyways. It's for the greater good, Hikari Senju." Hikari felt sick to her stomach, and completely stuck. She grimaced, and nodded._

_"I'll go."_

Hikari woke to find Itachi had put her blanket on her. She rose from her mat to find he was away from the fire and from his bed things. She sensed his energy thirty feet away, behind a line of trees.

He was standing against a trunk, looking out at the lake.

"How did you sleep?" the boy said, having sensed her presence. Hikari thought of her troubling dream from her past and yawned, stretching out her arms.

"Normally. Thank you using your sharingan; it helped." He nodded, and continued to look out onto the water. Hikari watched him, wondering what could be going through his brilliant mind.

"Where is Zetsu? He should have caught up to us by now."

"He came by an hour ago. I had him move on ahead in the direction of our target. He wants to gather intel in advance." She nodded, watching him stand in silence.

"Do you take space to think to yourself often?" Itachi gave a strange look. It had been a long time since he had been asked such a casual question.

"I suppose it helps pass the time," he replied. Hikari understood that he meant both the time until day, and time until his death. "Why do you ask?" The girl shrugged, comfortable speaking her truth.

"I guess it's just nice to talk with someone once and a while. We've killed our former comrades together and saved each others necks. I guess I just wanted to get to know you a little." It had been even longer since anyone had tried to get to know him. Kisame had tried a lot in the beginning, and he had picked up on Itachi's habits and some of his opinions. It had been too much of a risk to let him in. With anyone else within the organization, he would have immediately shut down the request for conversation. But Hikari already knew the truth about him, and if he was honest, he already felt almost as comfortable has he had with Shisui. Not only this, but he felt indebted to her for coming to him in the first place. He looked at the girl, whose hair glowed with a hint of red against the fire behind her, with hopeful but not pressing eyes.

"You already know I massacred my family and contracted a rare illness in my search to become stronger. You know that I wait for death at the hands of my vengeful brother. You've probably guessed that I've long since grown tired of this existence. I'm not an uplifting person to know about. What else could you want to know?" Hikari chuckled and stepped closer towards him.

"You've been a ninja all your life, but you're more of a whole person than you think. Let me prove it to you. What's your favorite color?"

They talked like that for a while. Hikari learned that Itachi was a traditional food elitist; he would not eat any cafe food that was poor quality, and he was a proficient cook himself. He hated small talk, and confessed that for some reason he was terrible walking on ice. One of his favorite foods was dango, and he enjoyed reading books on a wide variety of topics related to the shinobi world. It surprised Itachi how nice it felt to open up to her in such a conversational way; she responded to each statement without judgement. It was as if in the last three years he had forgotten anything other than being a ninja.

He learned that she had gotten in trouble all of her young childhood for not acting ladylike, had frequently skipped classes, and had won a sushi eating contest. She hated injustice, and felt she was often too blunt. Itachi stated that he liked it that way. He was completely relaxed, but he looked as if he almost couldn't believe himself. She had woken up a part of himself that had been dormant, a part of himself that had yearned to connect.

"It must have been boring for you these past years in the Akatsuki," Hikari remarked.

"It wouldn't have been more eventful had I decided not to," he stated dryly. The girl looked away and thought about that.

"Do you regret it?" He raised an eyebrow to the indirect question. "Do you regret making the decision you did and not dying with your family?" Itachi looked away in thought.

"Only time will tell. Whether or not there could have been another way is the question that haunts me," he admitted. Hikari thought of her dream and her stomach tied into a knot for a second. "And you? Do you not regret coming to assist me?" The girl smiled and looked up at him.

"Not even for a second. I only regret not coming sooner." Hikari smiled and looked at him straight in the eye with utmost certainty. "Being here with you has... made my life worthwhile again." Seeing her standing there, only a foot away from him somehow made something come up in his chest. It was a feeling he couldn't name. As if in response, her certainty faltered and she looked away. "I know that sounds stupid to say, but that's the truth."

"It's not stupid. I thank you, Hikari for coming. I'm not often a man of many words, but it is good talking with you." Itachi smiled, and now it was Hikari who was feeling something she couldn't name. His aura was almost unreadable, but when she looked she jolted in surprise.

"I can't believe I almost forgot! You must be exhausted." He nodded and to his surprise, she took his hand, leading him towards the light.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To rest. Have you forgotten? You can't see."

It was just before sunrise that he felt a gentle pat on his arm. Itachi's eyes opened instantly to find Hikari holding up an energy patch for him to take.

"They're coming." They were off within the minute.

"How much further until we reach the target?" Itachi's face was focused ahead.

"He's still two hours to the Northeast. Our pursuers are trailing an hour behind. If we keep running fast and set diversions, we should be able to slip away from their trail in time to gather intel for the mission."

"Can you see anything else about our target?"

"I can make out his face. He's eating at a cafe near the inn."

As if triggered by her own words, a vision flashed in front of Hikari's eyes. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Itachi!" he stopped to rejoin her, who was looking straight ahead in alarm.

"Whats wrong? What did you see?" She swore to herself.

"It's not what I saw, but what I didn't see until now. Itachi, we won't be completing this mission..." as she spoke, Itachi sensed the chakra of three men traveling towards them at top speed. They appeared standing in the branches just above them. Each wore strange animal masks and cloaks different from ANBU.

"You claim to have the ability to remote view and see into the future, yet you failed to see this?" Itachi's voice was coated in irritation.

"She can remote view alright," one of the masked figures said. "In working with her in the past, we were able to discover some of how her remote viewing worked. We withheld that information from her, in case a situation like this were to occur." The man's voice sent prickles up her spine. "In addition, girl, you were so focused on looking backwards towards the decoy, and forwards towards your target, that you forgot to look up." Hikari clenched her fists.

"You turned down my offers to help using my abilities for years, making me feel like a total freak, yet you believed me all along?!" Something close to bloodlust boiled in her heart.

"We observed, tested and followed your missions to gain an understanding of a potentially invaluable tool in the world of ninja. We used our knowledge to develop the same technique we used to hunt you down. This is the end of the line for the both of you."

"You're all fools. If you're so arrogant to believe that the three of you can take us down after what we've done to your comrades, you're sorely mistaken," Itachi lectured. A second cloaked figure replied.

"It is true, in the time it takes you to fight us we will die. But by the time we fall, you will be cornered by Leaf ninja stronger than our previous group, all hell bent on taking your lives." Hikari couldn't take any more of their voices. They made her sick. A single hand sign, and the three of them were stuck to the tree branch where they stood with petrified wood. She sent spears of wood hurling from her own tree branch towards them, each aimed at a different vital organ in the three figures. Before her attack could hit, they simultaniously stepped from their confines, dodging each spear. Their legs were smokey bluish and translucent.

"Oh Hikari, you can pierce living flesh, but how can you fight a ghost?" The third voice was a woman's. The three Root ninja scattered. Itachi and Hikari exchanged glances.

"We'll have to divide and conquer, learning their technique as we go."

"You don't have to tell me twice," she said and they were off. Itachi felt his skin begin to prickle as the etheric flames of the susanoo wrapped around his skin. As the red skeleton formed, so too did the spirit weapon. He took off after one of the figures, swiping his etheric blade until it hit. His target began to slowly disappear, as if evaporating. The blade went right through. Itachi swore, enabling his sharningan, but the chakra couldn't be detected.

"Hikari! They turn invisible!"

A ways away, Hikari was hurling spears of wood at one cloaked man while defending herself from the third. With each flurry of arrows that hit his body, they passed through as if moving through thick fog. It was like trying to catch smoke with her bare hands. She didn't let up while answering her partner's alert.

"He's turned his body into ether! There's no way they can maintain that state for long. He can't attack while nonphysical. Wait for him to turn solid, and finish him off then." One of the cloaked figures gave a dark chuckle, having been figured out.

"Didn't I tell you? By the time you get rid of us, we'll have you cornered."

"What a cowardly tactic. You think you can tire us by turning into ghosts? I'll make you stay that way!" Hikari's eyebrows furrowed as she molded tree branches they stood on, transferring them from one branch to another, as if they were waves in an ocean, drawing them near Itachi who was headed towards her with his susanoo. The figures who were visible pelted her with a barrage of weapons and poison smoke bombs, forcing them both to dodge. "All out of poison bombs, is that it?" She weaved hand sign after hand sign to capture them in wooden cages with no luck.

"Hikari stop it. You're wasting your chakra. Come over here." The girl shook her anger and looked to him, whose Susanoo had opened for her to enter. She joined him as fast as she could, to prevent those still solid from hitting him. They stood, catching their breath, invincible for a moment.

"And what about you? The Susanoo must drain your chakra." Itachi shook his head.

"Not as much as your wood style. Besides, we've been stalled out for a while. They should become solid soon." He was right. Hikari could sense it. She felt her stomach turn into a knot as she felt their presences move closer, inside the susanoo. She turned to him and whispered.

"Itachi... behind you... 3... 2... 1." As she said one, the cloaked figures became solid. Itachi disabled the susanoo and set his target alight with black flame. The man screamed and quickly died. Hikari launched herself forward, finishing off the other two in a flurry of taijutsu and several swipes of her two short swords. One she caught in the neck, removing their head. The second, she severed in the leg tendons, catching them by the collar as they fell.

"Tell me before you go, how long had you lied to me? How long had you known?!" The figure let out a strained chuckle. It was the woman.

"Look to your right... we won..." Hikari scowled in irritation, ending her life with a fast swipe to the nape of the neck. Both bodies bled out on the large tree branch before them as she followed the dead woman's last words.

Three teams of three leaf shinobi now stood and crouched on the branches before them. One of the teams was ANBU, the others jonin and chuunin. They had their weapons readied.

"This is the end of the line for the both of you," a man they did not recognize mumbled in a gruff voice, twirling his kunai on his finger.

In the distance, Zetsu watched the suspicious comrades in arms eagerly.

"It seems Hikari is loyal to the organization after all. Her words last night prove that her loyalty is not a front." White Zetsu concluded.

"Yes. It was a good idea to have split up last night. I traveled to find the Jinjuuriki, and you gathered useful information about our suspect."

"You were right. Because of Hashirama Senju's chakra, she can't sense me the same as she does other people. Her and Itachi appear to be getting close." Black Zetsu growled at the speculation.

"Let's watch to see if they can stay alive here. To me right now, their bond is of no importance."

"I'll make you both a deal. If you surrender now, we'll make it quick and painless. No blood, no sweat, no tears. I can't guarantee that my comrades will give you the same treatment if you attack." Hikari chuckled.

"I'm sure we could say the same for the nine of you."

"The Akatsuki has no reason to concern ourselves with Leaf Shinobi at this time. Leave, and we'll let you return to your families." Another man laughed angrily.

"What would you care about our families? A sociopath as ruthless as you doesn't know the meaning of family! You cold blooded traitor!" In sync, Itachi and Hikari sighed. Then Itachi fired black flames out of his eye, instantly killing his accuser.

In a flurry, the Leaf ninja targeted them, some coming forward, others spreading out to fire long range attacks. Itachi grabbed Hikari by the wrist, pulling her into the ribs of his susanoo as it formed around them, just barely missing a lightning style attack. He felt a pat on his own arm, quickly noticing the girl had tagged him with another chi patch. He quickly felt energy enter his body.

"I'm going to need to make more of these," she mumbled. He nodded in agreement as a barrage of weapons bounced off the skeleton's shield. The men looked up at the large skeleton, now including a more fully developed face and outer armor. For some, their jaws dropped.

"What- what is that?" One said to another.

"I've only read of it in history books. This is the jutsu Madara Uchiha used!" Itachi's stern expression never changed in the presence of their awe.

"Run with me," the woman said, with a new idea. The male lifted an eyebrow, but there was no time to explain. Their opponents were preparing for another onslaught. "Run!!" 

Together, they ran protected by his jutsu. Itachi managed to pierce one opponent with his sword, and two others quickly followed, caught in the fire of giant etheric shurriken. Hikari made several hand signs and the trees all around them began to warp and twist erratically, throwing some of their pursuers off balance. Together, they ran in a straight line, feet always met with a newly produced branch. Each opponent was well trained however, and none faltered for more than a minute. Together, as they ran, Itachi focused on catching opponents in the range of his sword, while Hikari's jutsu cornered, caught, and lead them into his fighting range. Suddenly, Itachi's body lurched. Hikari looked up to see the expression on his face as he began to heave. Small beads of blood appeared on the corners of his mouth, which he wiped away, managing to stifle his cough.

"Itachi-"

"I'm fine. Let's finish this."

"The five left are still able to evade our attacks. It will be over more quickly if we spit up." Itachi nodded.

"We'll regroup if either of us become overwhelmed." Hikari dashed out of his protective barrier before it faded away, stringing her bow and firing seven arrows at her target. Using her chakra, she controlled them in an attempt to corner the man who clearly had an affinity for taijutsu. The man used nunchucks to clear his path, meeting her in hand to hand combat.

Meanwhile, Itachi had managed to catch one jounin in a genjutsu, who gave a bloodcurtling scream before falling to his death to the forest floor below. He was now hurling shurikenjutsu to take care of the other two. Itachi calculated the positions of his opponents, accounting for their abilities and predicting possible attack, and jumped into the air. His shuriken jutsu could not be dodged, even in his blind spots. Five additional kunai were thrown to hit the initial flurry, in exact angles to produce direct hits. He flipped his body over to face them as the jounin sent a large jet of water towards him. Bracing himself, Itachi sent a large fireball to counter. It was unclear to him whether the shurriken behind him hit first, or the fire. He coughed into his hand once more. His chakra was almost gone.

Hikari confidently gained an advantage of her opponent, concentrating her energy into each blow and swipe of her blade, until a large burly man entered her realm of attack. He fought with a large stone hammer. Now, she fought two jonin head on, in an almost mindless frenzy of blade against blade, limb against limb, wood against hammer. While finishing off the final opponent, Itachi watched her slash, kick, and chop with just as much grace and ferocity than he had seen sparring with Might Guy in his youth.

Hikari was on the defensive now, and she narrowly missed a harsh kick to her back as her energy dwindled. She dropped down, swinging her leg causing the man behind her to jump, and simultaneously weaved a one handed sign. Her palm glowed, and by a margin of a millisecond, she miraculously landed a blow on his shin as he landed. The man howled in pain and kneeled. The chakra scalpel would keep him down for a few seconds. Her blade met the shorter man's before it could catch her in the shoulder. Using the last of her stamina, she gave the man a hard kick in the chest, sending him backwards into the trunk of a tree. The tree's bark wrapped around his limbs. The man looked at her, terrified and gasping. Hikari stabbed her blade into the tender flesh of his stomach, slashing from right kidney to left. The resulting spurt coated her hand in warm blood. Almost simultaneously, she stuck her second blade into the heart of the larger ninja, who was about to give his death blow with the large hammer. Life faded out of the man's eyes as a strained sigh and cough escaped his lips. He fell to his knees, then died.

The feint cry of Itachi's last victim broke Hikari out of her battle mentality. He was less than ten meters away, holding the dying man's collar. He dropped his last victim and made his way towards his partner.

"You're fighting style leaves a mess everywhere," Itachi stated, clearly slightly out of breath. Hikari was still delirious, and heart beating fast.

"No kidding," she gave a weak half smile, scraping her two short blades against the bark of the tree to remove some of the blood before pacing them back in their sheaths. "Your fighting style is much neater. Look at us. We have literal 'blood on our hands' now." The girl showed two slender palms to him. He nodded.

They turned to survey their surroundings. The trees looked as if a strange hurricane had blown through them. Thinner, sharp branches jutted out from trunks, many draped in vines with poisonous thorns. Much of the wood had been scorched by Itachi's fire style. Eleven bodies lay dead before them. Some beheaded, stabbed, set on fire, put through mental torture. All from the same village as them. Emotions coming back to her, Hikari's heart sunk.

It couldn't be helped. I can't afford to die in the hands of an enemy no matter what. But still...

"Itachi? Are we bad people?" The male genius looked up to the sky, then ahead at the scene once more.

"I don't know."

Ascending through the trees and into the sky, a dozen new spirits flew free.


	7. Just Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over the next several months, the two continue to train and grow along side each other. With free time on their hands, they continue to get to know each other, despite whatever their fellow Akatsuki members say. They're just friends.... right?

Two weeks later, Itachi had finished healing his lungs once more. Out of suspected fixation, Madara had pein order a halt to their missions under the pretense of letting him heal and grow in strength. Itachi knew that his true motive was to test the rivaling clans against each other, and, more importantly to keep an eye on the two of them. Madara, always watching, had guessed the reason for Itachi's preference for his partner over the other members was a shared loyalty to the leaf. And in order to confirm or disprove his suspicion, the two of them were under scrutiny. Now, Madara watched their training from his purple orb in his quarters, while Pein quietly observed their spar. Their goal was always the same: to work their way up from smaller attacks to larger scale jutsu, in an attempt to learn each other's fighting until their teamwork was flawless, and to grow from jutsu that complimented each other.

Itachi easily dodged Hikari's guided arrows, countering with his own shurriken. He had become so used to her physical attacks that he could evade them through mere muscle memory. One substitution after another, Hikari slowly made leeway, exhausting his physical energy.

"If you don't learn any new moves, we're going to be stuck in the same routine each time you come at me until I use my sharingan," he pointed out simply. His opponent gave a confident chuckle, shaking her head. Itachi's eyes flashed red, and she flipped back to make some distance. But when he looked at her next, he realized he spoke too soon.

"If you want to change it up, we can. But don't expect me to hold back," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. She looked up at him, eyes completely closed, and got in her fighting stance. In Itachi's mind, the thought that her attempt was a lost cause danced through for a moment, but he was not foolish enough to underestimate anyone, especially the comrade he already acknowledged as being strong. He came at her full force, prepared to knock her off balance. His foot was met with a swift dodge and a fast jab in the back. They resumed the same taijutsu they had been going at before, without a hint of lag in her moves. "I can feel your chakra draining faster now. What will you try next?"

_I have to gain more experience with my genjutsu. Nullifying my greatest strength threatens to put me at a permanent disadvantage._

Itachi knew that she could remote view living beings, but wondered if a life force was required to detect a long distance target. With several hand signs, he threw several shuriken, aiming for nonvitals from all directions. They landed with a dull thud in a wood barrier, surrounding her from all sides. He set this shield on fire with black flames, forcing her to move.

"Hikari, I know you're underground. And if you think you can pull me under, you're quite mistaken." Around him, a grove of trees began to form, getting taller until they stood several times his eight. They grew thicker, surrounding them in a dark shade. The voice of Hikari rang out from behind him.

"No Itachi, you're not destined to lie in the ground just yet," the voice said, laced with dark humor. He rolled his eyes at his friend's comment, but it was exactly this expression that opened him up for attack. She used her crafted split second of broken focus to attack him from the shadows, pressing her knife to his neck. Itachi burst into birds.

"I'm not blind yet, you know." The voice rang from all around her, crows wings lightly brushing against her skin. "And my sharingan work the same as your eyes in the dark, even if I were to lose my sight."

"I'll remember that for next time, then." A single hand sign from the girl, and sharp thorns emerged from the trees, headed for him. None reached his form. The ribs of the susanoo glowed red around him, protecting him from her onslaught. It continued to grow taller, until etheric muscles covered hollow bones. The monster used its sword to slash away the trees, almost catching her in the process. Hikari back flipped away from its wide range.

"The stories of my clan claim that when Madara fought Hashirama, maps often were redrawn in the aftermath. You've read the same stories, I assume." She wiped her brow and nodded.

"I'm sure the late Uchiha would be rolling in his grave if he saw how small scale our jutsu are in comparison." Hikari was out of options. Itachi had given up his health to acquire a hypothetically invincible technique. There was nothing in her arsenal that could counter it. "Let's stop for lunch. I didn't eat breakfast."

The two debatably strongest members of the Akatsuki sat at the edge of the training field, on the edge of a cliff overlooking distant hills. They finished their lunch in silence, lost in their thoughts. Hikari absentmindedly dangled her feet off the cliff, dropping small pebbles off the edge. They would fall over 200 feet before hitting the ground. Itachi took his last bites wondering what might be going through her mind as she did so. He decided to test out his assumption.

"Hoping to follow the stones, are we?" The question was asked casually, without any expression. Hikari shot back a relaxed smile.

"I told you already, I'm not ready to die just yet. There's still something important I have left to do. I have a personal debt to repay." Her voice was light. She swung both feet now off the cliff, looking happy and content. The sight both calmed him, and disturbed him.

"It wouldn't be the first time a good friend of mine fell off a cliff." He silently remarked to himself that it was actually something they all had in common. Itachi himself had thrown himself off a cliff at the age of four, a few months before Sasuke was born. "Slide back to me so we can talk." Feeling guilty for having brought up one of his painful memories, she scooted several feet back to the grass next to him, leaning back on her hands. "You told me when we met that you entered the ANBU a year after I left, at the age of thirteen. What happened before that? Why did I never see you?" She sighed.

"I started my ninja training when I was the same age as everyone else but... I never went to the academy." Hikari's stomach tied in knots. "I was loudmouthed about my visions as a little kid. I felt like it was my duty as a leaf ninja to share them with the world. When no one listened, I just yelled louder. So my mother did her very best to isolate me, giving me lessons in medical ninjutsu as an excuse to keep me away from everyone. As direct descendants and family members of former Kage, my mother and I were seen as high status, and were looked upon favorably by those in power. Around the time everyone started to see my talent in the ninja arts, my mother decided I had bad behavioral problems because to her I just spouted nonsense just to scare people. So she asked that I be given a tutor for the gifted who would train me privately." Itachi listened intently.

"It doesn't surprise me that you were talented from a young age. You fit the profile."

"Was being separated from everyone else hard for you?" The girl smiled at him, shrugging her shoulders and bringing her arms up to rest on her knees.

"What can I say? The early price of talent is isolation. We don't think the same way other people do. And being hated and used comes later down the road."

"And did that happen for you?" She nodded.

"I kept getting stronger and offering my talents to the leadership, anyone who would listen. My mother would get so mad, and she would yell at me all the time, making me feel like a freak. Everyone else thought I was crazy too. That's when Lord Danzo found me. He told me he had use for my fighting abilities, and let me stay at his headquarters. So, I ran away from home and joined Root. Without me to care for, my mother moved a ways out of the city to make medicines for our shinobi."

She lowered her head and took a deep breath before ending her explanation. "It makes sense now, after our last battle with the Leaf, that Danzo had learned of my intuition. He must have kept me under his wing to keep me away from your clan... and from you. If I were to have found out, he might have even disposed of me. After the massacre, Danzo's separate Root was dissolved, and that's when I began working in the ANBU you had recently left." She ended her recount looking apologetic. Itachi nodded, understanding.

"It would have been nice to have known you while I still worked within the village." Hikari nodded.

"I'm here now, so we can make up for lost time." Itachi looked her deep in the eyes, and genuinely smiled at the idea. "You told me you enjoy reading to learn. What are you interested in?" Itachi told her about his collection of informational books on all aspects of shinobihood; history, fighting strategy, diplomacy tactics, peacemaking customs, political philosophy, training methods, and more. In his spare time, Itachi had tried to get his hands on anything that he could use to become stronger and help him to achieve his goals. He wanted to know everything there was to know about the world of Ninja, in and out. Hikari laughed.

"Well I certainly admire your dedication. Is there nothing outside of being a ninja you like to do?" Itachi seemed somewhat defensive.

"I suppose I've never been one to spend my time on matters I see no greater meaning in. For me, my life has always been that of a shinobi seeking peace, so I saw little value in broadening my focus." Hikari's always confident eyes seemed to bore into him with interest.

"Nothing else?" Almost self consciously, he turned his head away from her.

"I value other subjects, but none that I took time in pursuing." Hikari shrugged.

"I wouldn't tell you how to live your life, but as for me, I don't define myself by just a few things. How can you fully understand how to rid the world of war if you are just a warrior?" The girl gave him a playful light punch on the side of his arm, which elicited a small smile from him. "And that's another thing. Wars aren't caused by ninja, ordinary people hire ninja to protect their interests. How can you hope to work with humanity if you don't try to understand humanity on multiple levels?"

"I understand the pain in people's hearts that causes them to fight and to fear death. And I understand the feelings that would cause them to protect what is most important to them with their life. The feelings of a ninja and a shopkeeper and a feudal lord aren't so different."

"But until you look beyond studying fighting itself, you can't truly relate to what they are fighting for." Hikari's voice grew quieter and more tender. "How can you empathize with the people fighting to protect their lives when you've never truly lived?" Itachi would have regarded her question with hostility if it had not been a close friend- her specifically- who asked. It seemed to him, that they had both lead similar lives- misunderstood, hated and used for their talent, barred by circumstance and their own choice from many of life's pleasantries. Hikari had simply made the choice to broaden her horizons with the spare time she had. Itachi sighed.

"I don't have the time. And besides, with my illness still uncured... the chance I can achieve that dream grows smaller by the month." His eyes lowered. Hikari didn't even wait a half a second to shoot down the self doubt that naturally arises from age and life experience.

"Didn't I tell you before? You have me now. I'm going to heal you. You have as much time as you need. So don't stop believing in yourself. Keep training and keep fighting. People's lives don't end when they die, they end when they lose faith." Itachi looked at her from the side of his eyes, and slowly the corner of his lips turned upwards in a smirk.

"I like that." We're such fools... he thought to her, fondly. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about her had fully restored the idealism that he had protected inside of himself since the day he had first seen that bloody battlefield of his youth. Maybe she was the light he needed to keep him going towards that dream. "I won't stop getting stronger. But I'll need your help if I'm to test myself against someone of the same caliber." _In trusting the strength of another, I can get stronger._ His voice lifted involuntarily as he said it. Now he understood she made him a slightly happier person. The young man's words made her chuckle.

"Our training so far certainly goes to show. I'll never get as strong as you," she smiled in a way that he could only describe as flirty but uncomfortable and Itachi couldn't help but feel charmed by it. He gave a soft hmph, feeling slightly self conscious again, and turned away.

"I believe that you have the potential." She lifted an eyebrow, surprised and skeptical.

"How could I? You have the Yata Mirror and Totsuka Blade. With them, you're invincible, right?"

"No one is invincible, Hikari. Every jutsu has a weakness. You have talent, and you put your heart into it. If you continue to work hard, you will find a way to counter it." Itachi's encouragement surprised her, and flattered her.

"If you say so, I'll keep trying." Itachi turned to her, slowly drawing out his hand towards her until the palm opened.

"Is that a promise?" Hikari looked at her friend, whose outwardly calm face hid so many mixed feelings; and smiled warmly. She chuckled again, and lifted her hand to meet his.

"It's a promise." Their hands wrapped around each other, sending feelings into their stomachs they still couldn't name.

Time passed in much the same way they started together. Missions came and went almost effortlessly through the months, leaving their team with a little more spare time than average. It was on those free days that they would spend their hours training, talking, and growing together.

When Itachi used his amaterasu on her petrified wood, Hikari learned to use earth style to move them away and scrolls to seal them. When she closed her eyes to fight against the sharingan, Itachi used the ghostlike jutsu his sharingan had copied in their last battle with the Leaf. When he locked her in a genjutsu, Hikari would power through the effects afterwards. When her Taijutsu got fiercer and quicker, Itachi too, built up his speed and stamina. Together, Senju and Uchiha became stronger, helping him achieve his dreams even more quickly than fighting another Uchiha. And Madara watched in secret, all the while.

Itachi turned 18 without more than a comment from Kisame. Hikari turned 18 in the same way. Nothing much changed for after all, birthdays were a trivial mark of passing time, insignificant when compared with the progress they were making. They kept on living, getting stronger, and closer with each other.

On this particular night, Itachi followed his female teammate down the stairs and into the shared eating corridor. It had become clear to him now, after these weeks being near her, what about her had given him new hope, new life, new faith in his dream. It wasn't in what she said or how she said it, but something deeper, more fundamental to her. Somehow, he felt that deep down in her core, Hikari shined. That was the source of her confidence, optimism, and fierce sense of purpose. Despite the painful lives they had lived, something inside her had not yet been killed, and it was that something he fixated on. He didn't know what it was, but he needed it. He needed her.

Now, he couldn't help but notice the grace with which she walked to join the members sitting at a simple wooden table.

Sasori, Diedara, and Kakuzu sat quietly, drinking tea and mumbling amongst themselves. Itachi joined them while Hikari went to pour the two of them glasses as well, quickly slipping a sprinkle of rare herbs and dark powder into Itachi's cup. She returned, handing his to him. Sasori, whose puppet body was 'standing' at the table and was not drinking any tea, sighed in a low voice.

"There's too many of us without missions. I'm tired of standing by." Deidara nodded in agreement.

"Sooner or later, I'm gonna have to shake things up myself. Give people a taste of my art!" Shortly, they heard the familiar sound of Kisame making his way downstairs on his crutches.

"Kisame, you're awake." Itachi stated, without turning around to see him. The blue skinned man grumbled.

"Spending so much time indoors has gotten my sleep all messed up." The man made his way to the table, sitting at a stool next to the group of them, as to keep his legs at a comfortable position. Sasori looked to him.

"How are your legs after these few months? They must have healed somewhat?"

"They hurt a lot less to walk around in now, but I've got to be careful, not that you really care." It was true, Sasori didn't care about anything life other than that of his puppets, but the accusation sounded a bit confrontational. Hikari quickly interjected to prevent any bickering, which both she and Itachi had little tolerance for.

"His bones are healing up nicely, but it will be at least another couple months before he'll be able to use them properly, let alone to fight full strength." Deidara shot her a look, then, that Itachi had seen him give before in the times he spotted the two mingling. It was a look that made him feel oddly protective.

"Kisame is lucky to have you to heal him. Maybe after he's back to normal, you can be on my team." His voice lifted at the end, sending a knot into Itachi's stomach. He pushed the feeling aside, not wanting to give it any thought. Before she could respond, he closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows.

"We won't know what we'll do with Hikari until Pein makes that decision." Deidara turned to the Uchiha, irritated.

"Yeah, I know that! I'm just saying... wouldn't that be nice, Hikari?" Hikari's confidence seemed to falter for a second before coming back.

"I'll do what I have to, but we don't know what will happen until Pein makes that decision," she echoed Itachi's sentiments sternly. The young man was almost surprised by her words. It made him feel happy and a little warm somehow. Was she saying it out of loyalty to him? Or was she truly impartial? Diedara cocked his head to the side.

"What? So the two of you are more than just partners, is that it? You don't want to leave him because the two of you are-"

"We're just friends." Itachi stopped him before he could go too far. But the last word he had said felt wrong somehow. _Her friendship means a lot to me; it's only natural then that dismissing it as 'just friends' feels wrong._ He pushed those thoughts to the back, unwilling to look at them. The discussion shortly ended and turned then to Kakuzu explaining their finances. Soon, they heard loud footsteps coming into the room. All but Hikari turned around to see who it was. Hidan slammed the door loudly, holding a bottle of sake in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. He was wearing his old civilian attire, indicating he had been in the nearest outpost to the base.

"Hey, ****!" The man swore at the group, and walked towards them clearly intoxicated. "You'll never guess what I found while walking through the nearest town?"

"A woman who you paid to sleep with," Kakuzu replied curtly. Hidan's routine activities in town were a well known fact. He scoffed.

"As if I would have to pay!" He slapped the piece of paper down on the table in front of Hikari. "Here's another thing you missed, psychic kunoichi." Hikari picked up the page and began reading.

"Being psychic doesn't mean being all-knowing... it just means I pick up on thoughts that travel through the brain at speeds so fast they seem to be coming at random.... you know that, Hidan," she mumbled while reading. Hidan was the only member of the organization that had accepted her abilities without skepticism. "What?!" Itachi watched as his partner's surprise turned into irritation.

"What is it, girl?" Sasori asked impatiently.

"Notice: after a unanimous decision, a new Hokage will take office as of next week: one of the three Legendary Senin, Lady Tsunade. May her leadership help to bring stability to the Five Great Nations, and to the Village Hidden in the Rain." The girl then rested her forehead on her hand, slouching over.

"Let's hope she's as hot tempered and emotionally unstable as most female ninja are. Instability in the Leaf means more business for us." Kakuzu jeered. Hikari looked at him with a dead expression and Itachi as well as everyone else looked to her, anticipating a small lecture on his blatant misguided stereotyping, and how women are just as fully capable of being leaders as men. Instead, she simply rolled her eyes and nodded, leaning back.

"We'll get that and more. Lady Tsunade's been gone for decades, gambling and drinking herself into the emotional numbness she so desperately depends on." It was a more accurate description of the woman than Itachi could have come up with himself.

"It sounds like you knew her well," Deidara chimed in. The young Senju looked down at the table, as if deep in thought.

"I have no memories of her. She left shortly before I was born so I only heard from stories." She lethargically rose up from her seat. "I'm going to head upstairs. It's late." Itachi watched her head up the stairs from the corner of his eye. His curiosity prompted him to follow her.

In her room, the girl had removed her headband and shoes, and was now sitting at the edge of her bed. Itachi knocked, feeling nervous at being in her room at night for some reason and quietly pushed open the door.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, pushing the door closed again. "Lady Tsunade is strong. Do you really think she'll be that bad a leader?" Hikari shook her head.

"I don't know. It's a miracle they got her to commit to the job. It's not that I don't think she can do it, it just goes to show how little the village has grown to elect her." She fell back onto the mattress dramatically, hair splaying out on the covers around her. It was the first time he had seen her truly act like a teen. "The power's got to stay in the ruling class, am I right?" she said sarcastically.

"What do you mean?" Hikari sighed and chuckled darkly.

"She didn't get married, so she goes by Lady Tsunade to leave out her last name. She's the granddaughter of the first Hokage. My great aunt. Tsunade Senju."

Two weeks later, Itachi stood just behind Hikari in a small grove of trees as she concentrated her chakra. Itachi had brought her here to teach her more about genjutsu, but in truth it was also because during the day, training outside was the only way to be alone with her. And if he was honest with himself, now a days that was all he wanted.

Because of the secrets she held about the village, Hikari's mental security was stronger than any non Uchiha he had met. She could drive out an ordinary genjutsu used to gather information effortlessly, from the walls she had built around her mind through training. But fighting through an illusion or casting one herself was a much different story.

"Picture in your mind a sensory experience you wish to convey to me. It can be a scene, a tactile sensation, a sound, anything. Then focus on the chakra coming from my brain and make the hand signs." Watching her so closely from behind, Itachi fought in vain not to pay attention to the way her hair smelled like pine needles or the way her clothes clung to her frame. She followed his directions, slowly forming the hand signs. Itachi, with disabled sharingan, allowed the jutsu to seep into his consciousness. A flicker of an image he couldn't quite make out, and then she lost control of her chakra and it vanished. She sighed.

"Every time I visualize something, I lose grip of the illusion in a second. I told you before, I'm not one for genjutsu."

"The balance of physical and spiritual energy isn't right. Because genjutsu distorts the physical senses, I suspect you're using too much spiritual energy. When one focuses too much on the spirit, their chakra actually focuses towards the geometrical center of their physical brain instead of at their target, giving their genjutsu a less powerful effect." Hikari turned to face him.

"Is that really how genjutsu works?" Itachi nodded.

"The stronger the genjutsu, the more a caster can distort the flow of chakra in a brain. Since a smaller portion of your chakra was focused at me, I only saw a little of your illusion." A glimmer of amusement flickered in her eyes.

"Is that so?.."

"What is it?"

"Oh nothing, let me try again." From her sly half smile, Itachi knew her enough to know that she would attempt to use that knowledge to strengthen her resistance to his sharringan later. Not that it would help. They tried two more times, each time making no progress. "It's no use, Itachi." Itachi would not give up. He truly wanted her to succeed.

"If visualizing an image or a physical sensation isn't working, then maybe a nonphysical feeling will."

"That's just telepathy, but sent through my brain instead of the neurons in my heart. What good will that do in battle?" Itachi couldn't help but smile to himself at how bright she was. The sheer amount of studying she must have done in her life was enough to make his heart soften a little.

"It's a stepping stone. Just try it." Hikari again followed his instructions, closing her eyes in concentration. What emotion would she send? Fear could be useful in a fight, as to influence the decisions of a target before revealing herself. She thought of a memory, back when Danzo had ordered her to stay in a dark room shortly after she joined Root. She was still young at the time, and the sounds of him killing a disloyal subordinate behind the doors had terrified her. Hikari made the hand signs.

"Did you get it?" Itachi gave a small smile, having received it.

"You were afraid of Danzo?" So with the emotion, the images had come through.

"It was the first time I had ever heard someone being killed in person." Hikari almost blushed at having sent him such a childish memory. He nodded in understanding. Her trusting him enough to share one of the more private aspects of her early life made him happy somehow. It was a testament to how close they had become.

"Now try it again with an illusion, using a nonphysical feeling to give your jutsu more power." The girl thought to herself as he waited patiently, watching her expression change. What would she choose?

The girl sighed, and formed the hand sign. A thin stream of chakra flowed through his unguarded mind. A slight dizziness hit him, then he saw the image of a simple black orb floating between them. Itachi calmly assessed the jutsu, to see how long she could maintain it, but his breath caught when he noticed something else. It was not the illusion itself but the feeling behind it that completely caught him off guard. Though it was fragile and unimposing, it was hopeful- it was the same feeling he found himself trying to push away each time he saw her. It had no name yet, but Itachi wasn't thick enough not to know what it closely resembled. His hands clenched underneath his cloak as his nerves took over. He looked at the girl whose lids were still tightly closed, concentrating on the orb. She probably hadn't even realized what feeling escaped through her mind. He was overcome with the desire to remove himself from the situation.

"The image came through clear," he heard himself comment. "Well done." He turned away, in the direction of the base. "I have to go."

"Hey you're not leaving so soon are you? Is something wrong?" He looked back towards the slightly perplexed girl.

"Nothing is wrong. I just have another duty I must fulfill. Practice with Kisame if you want." Itachi let his feet carry him quickly away from the truth of her feelings- from the truth of his own feelings. But no matter how far he walked, the confusing, unnamed pang he felt in his chest wouldn't leave.


	8. Jinjuriki Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their first attempt at tailing the jinkuuriki, Itachi and Hikari are confronted with a rather... unexpected dilemma. 
> 
> (Excerpt)   
> Hikari had vowed to herself that any feelings between them would not exist. Now, after last night, she would have to look him in the eye and pretend everything was normal while dancing with him?! Her stomach churned at the idea of dancing at all.
> 
> "What's wrong?" She looked at him again.
> 
> "KILL. ME." Itachi smirked at that.

Itachi spied on Hikari from above ground, scrutinizing her from the trees two hundred feet away. She was training with Hidan, and giving him a run for his money.

He thought of how he had grown since three months ago, with Madara.

_"I want you to teach me how to repress all chakra that emanates from me," he declared at his mentor's turned back._

_"Ah, and why would you want that?" Itachi had already prepared an answer, though whether it was a lie he couldn't tell._

_"It was you who requested I continue to train with Hikari was it not? She is a sensory ninja. I want to maintain my advantage." Madara nodded._

_"Very well. Though I must warn you, that repressing your chakra to that degree for too long has long term side effects," his voice was calm and authoritative._

_"I'm a dead man walking, you know that." Madara nodded, and so he agreed to train him._

Itachi was within his partner's normal sensory range, yet she hadn't picked up even a hint of his presence. He smirked to himself, picturing the look on his friend's face during their next battle when she discovered that she could no longer track him with her eyes closed.

He watched Hikari swiftly dodge Hidan's aggressive scythe swings, knowing full well a drop of her own blood would make things more complicated. Connecting wire to her controlled arrows, Hikari weaved double and triple layers in a pattern only he could see through. As long as she kept up her speed, she would outsmart him and have him trapped within a couple minutes.

Itachi's smirk slowly turned into a soft scowl. He was an adult. He might not have the strongest emotional introspection, but he knew that the reason he was hiding now was because what had happened that day troubled him. He couldn't make out what he had felt from her that day, through the genjutsu. It was the same thing he so desperately tried to ignore, yet each time he saw her, that little tug in his chest came back. It was because he could not label this sensation, that he observed her from afar.

For a split second, his heart opened, disrupting his effort to conceal his chakra.

Hikari missed a beat in her defense against her opponent.

_"Itachi..."_ she thought in surprise. Gathering her chakra, she made a hand sign.

Hidan took the split second to give her a quick jab on the arm. He gave a triumphant cackle, flipping away from her. Hikari put a hand on her hip, as if waiting for his next move.

"You're not the only one who can utilize the chakra found in blood. Bring it on!" Hidan's supernatural technique was a good match to her own. He licked the small blade, skin turning black.

"Where should I have you pierce yourself?" The young woman shrugged.

"I literally couldn't care less." From in the trees, Itachi smirked, having regained control of his technique. He knew his partner well enough to picture the utterly unintimidated look on her face.

"Claiming to have a higher pain tolerance than me? Or are you simply being masochistic?" Itachi couldn't help but be curious about her response.

"Neither, I'm just stronger than you." Hidan raised his hand in preparation for a maiming blow. He might appreciate the life of his partner enough not to sacrifice her to his deity, but it didn't mean he'd let her go unscathed. Itachi stood up, in preparation to bolt to her aide if need be.

Under his control, Hikari struck an arrow into her rib cage underneath her heart. Itachi thought to run to her, but held off knowing full well she was easily strong enough to fend for herself. The girl smirked, pulled the thin weapon out of her own body, and to his surprise, the wound almost instantly healed. She looked at the now intimidated Hidan with an evil smirk.

"Now it's my turn." Hikari concentrated on the life force in her own blood and used it to turn partially into ether, breaking free of the spiritual hold for long enough to make a single hand sign. A wave of her chakra shot towards the frozen man, hitting his consciousness. The man yelled out in pain, releasing his jutsu. Hikari ran up to him, locking him in a hold with her arm and leg, holding a short sword to his neck. "Dead. I win." Hidan knew full well that Hikari would sever his head from his body and bury it deep in the ground. The battle was over.

Itachi was impressed. He jumped from the tree to walk towards her.

"Damn it, girl. How'd you manage to pull that one off?"

"Genjutsu," she said triumphantly. Then she turned to Itachi, who approached them.

"We have been summoned by our Leader," Itachi covered for his own presence. Indeed, that was the second reason why he had come to watch her. For a moment, it seemed as if Hikari could see through him. She smiled and followed him to the base.

In an hour, they soared through the trees once more, headed in the same direction they had months ago. To the land of Stone, in search of the Four Tails.

"You are certain there is no one pursuing us this time?" Itachi glanced at her, trying to repress any feelings of nervousness that might be lingering in his stomach. It had been a week since their last mission, and now he feared she might bring up his presence in the trees. She nodded.

"They can't hide from me using a spirit body any more. I've been training to master energy sensing on the spirit plane as well. I've begun to feel close with the souls that linger just beyond this plane... including the ones watching over you of course," she gave a sensitive smile, but her words struck his heart with a painful intensity he still wasn't prepared to face. Itachi had not forgotten her offer to channel his parents and Shisui. But the idea of facing them was still too overwhelming to bear.

"I apologize... I'm still not ready." She nodded.

"Take all the time you need. They understand."

The duo traveled through the afternoon without interruption, stopping at a small cafe just past the Sound Village. Itachi watched Hikari purse her lips to take a sip of tea. She ate her lunch carefully, and Itachi guessed she had learned such habits from being brought up so close to the higher ups in the village.

"We could still be seen by one of Orochimaru's subordinates, you know," the young woman turned to him, who had ordered some simple Onigiri.

"They won't alert him in time for Sasuke to pursue me. Even if he were to hear, it would only motivate him to become stronger." Hikari nodded, but her eyes grew concerned.

"You're not eating your lunch. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just not hungry, that's all," Itachi lied. He knew that if he were to tell her his illness had moved further into his stomach, she would insist on treating him as soon as they got to the inn. And right now, he needed space from... that. In all honesty, he needed as much space from her as possible. Hikari's pressing gaze bore into him, but she decided not to push him further out of respect.

In the evening, Hikari lead him towards the light of an inn in a small town. Before she could open her mouth to ask what rooms were available, Itachi handed the man the money.

"Two single rooms, please." Hikari looked up at him. It was then that she realized that the automatic ability to read emotions she often tuned out hadn't been working with him. He had been closed off emotionally for at least a few weeks now. He suddenly became close to impossible to read. Itachi lead her to their doors and smiled, as if nothing was wrong.

"I'll take the first shift. Wake me if you need anything." With that, Itachi abruptly disappeared behind the door. Hikari understood that for some reason, things had changed between them. Still, she couldn't help feeling a little hurt.

Locking himself in the bathroom, he coughed up blood into his hand. He growled to himself in frustration. After a quick hand wash, he removed his shirt and shoes, to pace back and forth in the bedroom. Little did Hikari know, a single dark reddish bruise had appeared on his lower back.

In the room next door, Hikari was using all her self restraint to keep her from bashing her head against the wall.

_"It was that day, when he taught me genjutsu. I must have let something out I didn't ever mean to... shit."_ she thought to herself. _"He's just my friend, isn't he?"_ Hikari clenched her fist, making a decision. _"I can't let that feeling get in the way of this mission to help Itachi. If he knew I felt anything else... if I feel anything else... it would only hurt him and put the both of us in an awkward position. From now on,"_ she forced her heart to harden. _"Any feelings towards Itachi do not exist."_

In his room, Itachi began to read to take his mind off of things. Hikari forced herself to go to sleep.

_In Danzo's compound, Hikari erased all signs of her presence as she listened through the crack in the door to his office. It was three in the morning._

_"Unrest is growing in the Uchiha compound," someone spoke. "Your plan is working brilliantly. The nine tails attack years ago gave us exactly what we need to start the second stage. We couldn't have been more lucky."_

_"Yes, indeed," this time it was Danzo's voice. "I will have several of my most trusted subordinates begin to target and eliminate several of the stronger members of the Clan. It will keep them down, and if they ultimately decide to rise against us, we will prevail."_

_"First the Second Hokage's Leaf Police Force, now this. Do you really believe that the Second and Third Hokage would approve of this?" The unknown man inquired._

_"This is what Lord Second believed must come to pass. Hiruzen is too naive to understand. We will keep our operations a secret. If he were to find out, a civil war might start within the village, weakening us to outsiders. You must not say anything." Hikari looked down at her almost full grown hands and realized they were shaking._

_"That goes without saying. But who will you entrust? What of the Senju girl?" Now, her breath caught. She forced herself to remain completely still._

_"I have kept a close watch on the girl's abilities while she has lived here. It's wisest we include her in phase two. It's highly likely she will find out on her own and run away if I do not keep her close to me. Besides, she's a Senju. Hikari inherited this fate." With those last words, her heart dropped into her gut. She didn't know the specifics of phase two, but it made her feel sick._

_Hikari tried to run. It was nearly impossible to escape the complex when she was practically held hostage here, but she had to try. The girl made it back to her room to gather her things when she saw a masked man standing beside her door._

_"Where have you been, girl?" The man asked in a low, harsh voice. Danzo was right. Her fate was now sealed._

The next morning, they continued on their way towards their target. Itachi noticed that Hikari was much quieter than usual.

"Are you okay?" he dared ask. "You seem like you have something on your mind."

"It's nothing, just a bad dream," Hikari explained simply, turning her face away from him. A bitter taste filled her mouth.

"Would you like to talk about it?" He offered, knowing she was hiding something from him. On reflex, the girl sealed tight the barriers of her mind.

"No, I'll be fine." They ran in silence the rest of the way.

At two hours until sundown, they arrived at their destination. She had lead them to a medium sized village with a town square at its center. From in the trees, Itachi pulled out a copy of their bingo book to show her a photograph of the jinjuriki named Roshi.

"Roshi is a higher status member of his community, and his work as an S ranked shinobi has made him very rich. However, he has kept his fighting techniques a secret from those outside this village. He will likely be surrounded by people at all times. There won't be an opportunity to fight him here. We must only gather information about his abilities."

"Why are we doing this now and not when we can get him alone?"

"We don't know enough about him to know when he will ever be alone. Kisame is adamant about being the one to take him out. Pein has only instructed for us to begin to target the location of the tailed beasts. By the time Kisame heals, he'll be able to do the work." Hikari chuckled. "We'll have to disguise ourselves. How are you at transforming your appearance?"

"In ANBU, I did more missions disguised than not." She thought back grimply to what measures Danzo had gone to ensure her missions were not traced back to the village. Itachi nodded in approval.

"Good. Let's begin." The young man made a hand sign, and in a poof of smoke, Hikari saw a somewhat different person standing in front of her. His onyx hair had become short and neatly slicked back. The markings on his face were erased, Itachi knowing full well that they made him easily distinguishable, and his skin became more pale. "How do I look?" It was intended as a practical question, yet the way his heightened voice rose made her wonder if it was meant also as something more. Hikari looked him up and down for a brief moment, silently remarking that this Itachi was perhaps equally as handsome as the true version.

"Fine," she stated curtly, looking away. Hikari made the same hand sign. Her eyes turned blue, her figure grew shorter and slightly more curvatious, her cheekbones raised and her lips became more plump. She paused. "What color should my hair be?"

"Blonde," Itachi said. Hikari snorted. "Is this how you wish you looked naturally?" Hikari knew he was simply asking out of curiosity, but she shot him an annoyed glance anyway.

"As if. It might come as a surprise to you men, but I actually accept the way I look." They jumped down from the trees heading to the town. This was the first time either had been in disguise in a very long time.

After donning new clothes, her a light pink dress and him a pair of black trousers and a dark purple shirt, hiding their headbands and cloaks in a bag, and Hikari applying makeup, they began to wander through the town in pursuit of the man. It was more than an hour before they located him.

The bearded man sat at a booth in a cafe with his arm wrapped around what they presumed might be his wife. He laughed heartily in a gruff voice.

Itachi turned to his now blonde partner and lifted an eyebrow.

"What is our cover story?"

"I'm your sister." Hikari wasn't going to put them in the position of having to be a couple, not after last night. "Our parents are here on business, but we come from the Land of Fire. If they ask, our parents are here as merchants, selling ninja tools. That way, we can engage him in conversation about his job without being perceived as a threat." Itachi, with his inscrutable face seemed to be looking her up and down and thinking. The fact he would act the part of brother filled him with relief.

"Clever, but I must take into account our difference in appearance. Adopted sister." They sat down a seat away from the unsuspecting target and his wife. Suddenly, Itachi put on a lighthearted, vacant grin.

"Two orders of dumplings and miso over here please!" He pointed to the cook with a foolish smile. Hikari felt a small smile spread across her cheeks. It was as if he had become another person in a split second. Itachi was truly a good actor. She giggled, and wondered if perhaps he was imitating his memories of a young Sasuke. She decided it best to play dumb in case her story got mixed up.

"It's been a few hours now. I wonder where mom and dad have gone off to," she made an effort to talk in earshot of the target couple.

"They're probably still selling what ninja tools they have left. It takes a long time to negotiate a good price for what they're worth. You've got to be patient!" Hikari sulked.

"I just want to go home. Why do Mom and Dad have to sell ninja tools anyway? They're not even ninja." Roshi's eyes shifted over to them. They had him caught. The burly man turned towards the two.

"Excuse me you two, I couldn't help but hear you were in the business of selling ninja tools. Where are you from?"

"We were born in the Land of Fire. Our parents are inventors, and they've become successful enough that we've been invited to tour all over, selling to whoever can pay the price."

"Fascinating. And how is it that the Leaf Village has allowed for you to sell to other villages?" Hikari cut in.

"They get a cut of whatever we sell! But, like, we're only allowed to sell to allies. Stone village merchants come sell to us too, ya know! It's how we share our strength, yeah?" It was a true statement, one Itachi had told her months before. The man scratched his head, and nodded. "Hey, I noticed you have a ninja plate on your helmet! Are you like, in the market for some new tools? Ours are super cool!" The man chucked.

"I'm afraid I don't use many tools anymore." He leaned in, across from his wife, to whisper. "I'd melt right through them!" Hikari fake gasped in amazement, looking to Itachi. So he was fire or lava style. Check. It was as if the team could share thoughts silently on their progress.

"Wow, you sound pretty strong. My father invented a tool that's resistant to heat and can intensify flame. I'm sure he'd sell it to you at a good price." The apparently naiive man laughed.

"If only it was flame that I needed help controlling!" The foolish man pulled out a scroll of paper he must have gotten from another village. It was a wanted sign.

"My name is Roshi. I'm a master at lava style. I've been on the move lately with this bounty over my head, training to better understand the tailed beast inside of me." Itachi and Hikari feigned astonishment and awe. This was going much easier than expected.

"A jinjuriki?! Woah!" Itachi's voice rose to make himself sound younger. Hikari fought to push back a laugh. "Wait, do you think our parents could meet you later? We might have something for Lava Style techniques."

"I suppose so, kids. My wife and I will be attending the annual Kongoseki Ball this evening. If you'd like to come, I'll talk to you again. Until then," he nodded and the two excused themselves, having finished their food. "Best of luck." When the couple had left, the sleek haired Itachi turned to his blonde partner. She looked like all the energy had been slowly been sucked out of her.

"We still don't know where he's headed. We have to go," Itachi said, almost as if to comfort the clearly troubled kunoichi. The blonde haired, pink dressed Hikari sighed heavily, hanging her head so her long hair swung over it. She held her head tightly in her hands, shaking it back and forth. Hikari had vowed to herself that any feelings between them would not exist. Now, after last night, she would have to look him in the eye and pretend everything was normal while dancing with him?! Her stomach churned at the idea of dancing at all.

"What's wrong?" She looked at him again.

_"KILL. ME."_ Itachi smirked at that.

That evening, Hikari exited a changing room wearing a long, royal purple dress. Itachi noticed the garment was synched at the waist, fabric running in a graceful line down her legs, showing off her disguised figure. Her hair had been pinned up partially. She smiled at Itachi, who had been waiting. Even through her transformation, it was still clearly her.

"You look nice," Itachi opted, as not to sound too forward. In reality, the sight had taken him aback. She gave a half smile again, feeling a bit awkward.

"Thanks. You do too." Itachi wore a simple black suit, unadorned. Hikari tried and failed to stop from wondering what he would look like in the suit without his disguise. "Let's go."

The town hall floor had opened up for the residents to dance. It was clearly a city populated by nobles and families who lived comfortable lives. In the center of the hall, a fountain poured. In the background, a small group of people played a slow melody, creating a leisurely atmosphere.

"We'll walk around for now to see if we can locate them again," Itachi instructed. They did, and within the half hour, they found the man talking within a group of colleagues. Feigning shallowness once more, Hikari waved. The group continued their conversation, but the two had been acknowledged. Soon, the music changed, and a man who they presumed to be a town official made his way to the center!

"Ladies and gentlemen! It is my great honor to announce the beginning of the annual Kongoseki Ball!" The now filled dance floor applauded politely. "It is with this dance that we celebrate the affluence of our city and the prosperity of our nation, which has thrived over the past decade and a half following the Third Shinobi War. May peace continue to reign in these mountains for decades to come. In addition, I would also like to thank Roshi-Sama for sponsoring this event!" He gestured to the old bearded man, who gave a quick nod. "Well as you know, I could talk all day, but I know you came to celebrate! Let the ball begin!" Hikari felt a knot in her stomach as the group off in the corner began to play a beautiful melody. An older woman wearing a lot of makeup lifted a microphone and began to sing. Hikari looked around her with dread as pairs all across the floor began to dance to the slow song.

How could this get any worse? She thought to herself. Almost against her will, she looked towards her partner, whose unreadable eyes had been watching her. With the bow of a gentlemen, Itachi offered his hand.

"May I have this dance?" Hikari almost snorted, but instead she simply sighed and took his hand.

"I suppose you must." Knowing Itachi, he was probably just as uncomfortable in this situation as she was, if not more. He supported one hand loosely in his palm to their side, and with the other, he wrapped around her waist, pulling her a bit closer to him. Hikari rested her other hand on his shoulder. They began to follow the movements of those around him. Hikari avoided looking him in the eyes entirely.

"Hikari, this is a mission. If we are to guarantee its success, we can't afford to take any risks by being out of character."

"What do you mean?" She turned to look at his still unreadable face.

"We're siblings who presumably have decided to spend the day together. We must act as if we enjoy each other's company." She gave a soft smile, agreeing.

"That shouldn't be too hard, considering we do." Hikari forced herself to look into his fake blue eyes as they slowly traveled across the floor. The silence was so thick with tension that they both searched for any words to break it. "How are we going to figure out his next movements?"

"If he doesn't disclose anything here, we'll have to tail him further." Hikari nodded. Itachi raised an eyebrow, daring to ask an honest question.

"What makes you so against dancing here? You're more than capable of handling social situations." Hikari sighed. It was true. Though neither of them were the most outgoing, she was certainly the most social of the two.

"It's not the amount of people... I guess dancing just makes me uncomfortable. It doesn't come naturally to me. I probably look awkward. I'm more of a wallflower, anyway." Itachi smirked at that.

"Me too. Though I don't see any problem with your dancing." Hikari looked him in the eye then, heart lurching for some reason. It happened quickly then, so fast that Hikari doubted she had even seen anything. A glint flashed in his eyes.

"You look lovely, Hikari." The young woman's eyes opened a little wider, heart skipping a beat, though she immediately sealed her heart shut with a stoic expression.

"Thanks," she forced the word out, pained. And just like that, the moment was over. It wasn't like Hikari's eye contact to falter. She wasn't as good a liar as he was. Itachi understood that the simple statement had affected her. Her reaction drew two things simultaneously from his heart. The first, something he could only label as a satisfied smugness. The second thing, growing concern. Hikari's gaze returned to his with a fake chuckle.

"If the others saw us here, we'd never hear the end of it."

"They don't have to know," the simple statement came from Itachi, sounding almost like silk. She wondered if he had made his voice that way on purpose. Suddenly, Hikari's mind flashed with an image of something else they could hide from everyone, his face moving closer to hers. _It's hard to distinguish between imagination and reality right now. Damn it,_ she thought before quickly controlling her thoughts and silently scolding herself. Thankfully, Itachi didn't seem to realize what she had been thinking. Hikari needed to stop this.

"We should go towards our target. There's no use in wasting time here any longer." Itachi nodded and the duo made their way towards the bearded jinjuriki dancing with his wife. "Great party!" The bearded man grinned.

"Only the best for my village. Where are your parents?" Hikari paused. She had been too busy thinking of how to get out of the dance to make a cover story.

"They couldn't come. They're closing on in another deal with someone as we speak. We're very sorry." Itachi covered for her before there was any time for the couple to second guess their motives.

"But they did give us a message for you! Apparently, Mom and Dad are big fans of your techniques. My father want's to find out how his new invention suits a ninja of the lava style. And so he said that if they saw you again, he'd give you something for free!" Hikari put on the most unassuming, dim witted face she could muster. The man thought about it.

"Ah, I see," the man's enthusiasm trailed off. "Unfortunately, I won't return here for some time. Give them my thanks for the offer, I guess," It was clear they were losing him. Hikari wondered in retrospect if it would have been more effective to have made clones of their parents. But coordinating four independent facades was often more risky than worth it. Itachi wasn't giving up.

"Not here? I mean, where are you headed after this? Maybe there's a chance we'll be in your area again some time." Now, the man looked almost suspicious. His demeanor became guarded.

"You both seem exceptionally eager to do business with me, even at no profit of your own. Is there something you're both not telling me?" Roshi's eyes narrowed into squints. Itachi raised his hands up in fake defensiveness.

"No, no, of course not! We just look up to great ninja like yourself. It's the least we can do to strengthen our alliance." He shook his head unconvinced.

"Ninja tool makers are never so eager to trade with another village, even if they have no quarrel. Sounds like a potential set up to me. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot tell you. You might be well-meaning, but I am a cautious man. I think you'd better go." With that, he turned away, leaving Itachi and Hikari to their own devises.

"Was I too forward?" Itachi inquired, seeming disappointed in himself. Hikari shook her head.

"No, we kept our story straight. Something inside him changed. I wonder what we said to make him suddenly not trust us?" Itachi lead her further away to guarantee no one would pick up their exchange.

"We'll have to infiltrate. Tonight. Leader has given explicit orders that phase two will begin soon. Until now, we had only been tracking jinjuuriki. Soon, we will begin to hunt them, starting with the one tails."

"Should be easy enough to infiltrate. We'll follow him home when the dance is over. Let's get rid of these disguises," the young woman moved forward to exit the dance floor, unpinning her hair and letting it free. "I never want to play dumb again. And besides, I miss the real you."

Itachi smirked at that.


	9. Jinjuriki Dance

Itachi silently made his way into the dark room. Hikari began to booby trap the doorway while a clone of her worked to create diversions. If all went according to plan, they had 10 minutes to gather any documents regarding Roshi's travel plans.

He carefully slid drawers open, in search of any clues, but there was nothing.

"Hikari, check the pockets of his clothing," Itachi instructed. Hikari began to search, sensing the jinjuuriki far away. Five minutes passed, and there was nothing. The two were about to give up, when an image flashed in her mind.

"Behind his bed frame," she pointed. Itachi looked at her in hesitation, but went to his bedside where she was indicating. He pulled out a small piece of paper.

_"My dearest Hanabi, it is with a heavy heart that I leave you this letter," it read. "I must leave for a time, though for how long I don't know. One month ago, a spy notified me of a group of rogue ninja who have begun to track jinjuriki like myself. He said he'd learned it from overhearing the jinjuuriki Killer Bee. I have met the man personality and his trustworthiness is not in question. What this group's motives are, I do not know, but if what Bee said was true, it is a group of nine S ranked ninja listed prominently in the bingo book. A group like that is not formed to conduct simple investigations. I'm afraid that if I am to keep our village and potentially the world safe from the beast inside me, I must quietly slip away from this place. And as much as it pains me, I cannot risk taking you with me and jeopardizing your safety. I will take on a new identity as a new man, disguising myself as a common traveler. I am headed to the city of Tonoki, in the land of Fire. Then, I will head to a farm in the northern Mist when it gets warmer. I do not know where I will go from there if the situation calls for it, but I will never be too far. My darling, do not worry. I have high hopes that this will blow over quickly. Do not doubt my love for you. I will hold you in my thoughts each day. If I could ask for but one favor, it is to spread the message that I have left on a short journey to learn the powers of a sage, and will return soon. If I do not, tell them what you wish. I would have told you all of this in person, but this afternoon the two young people masquerading as traveling tradesmen confirmed that I am indeed being tracked. I will be gone before you read this. I love you, Hanabi._

_Yours faithfully, Roshi."_

"Damn it," Itachi swore to himself. "He was onto us the whole time."

"He played nice as a ruse. But what was his motive?"

"I don't know. He could have gathered information by watching us somehow. We have to get moving. He's undoubtedly after us." The two donned their cloaks and took off towards the entrance, Hikari leading Itachi in the dark. They were almost upon it when Hikari froze.

"Hold it right there," a gruff voice spoke. They turned around and saw that it was Roshi with several of his subordinates. "Did you really think I was so thick to believe a pair of ninja tool salesman would simply offer me a free weapon? Free exchange was banned last year. Who are you?" It was just their luck that a perfectly reasonable storyline happened to get in the way of their escape. Hikari looked to Itachi, who remained silent. "If you're not going to tell me, I'll just have to force the information out of you. The man began to make a hand signs, but before he could finish, the man to his right produced a large spurt of water. Itachi countered with a fireball, which crashed into the stream, disappearing.

"Our orders are not to harm you. However, if you decide to take us on, the very city to call home will be reduced to rubble. Do not underestimate us. Defeating you with your tailed beast would not be much trouble." Roshi hesitated, looking quite intimidated by his words.

"Go back to your wife and forget we were ever here. We will return for you when the time comes," Hikari ordered. That would certainly get him to run away according to his plan. "What use is risking your life and the lives of everyone here when you could live instead and fight another day?" The man nodded.

"I deeply regret telling you my kekkei genkai. I will tell my men to leave you be, for the sake of this city. But if you dare face me again, I will be harder to take down than you think." With that, Hikari and Itachi left, walking down the path a ways until they reached a place to camp.

"Do you think they'll go back on their word and sneak up on us?" Hikari asked. Itachi stood looking at the ground intensely, shoulders bent a little awkwardly. Something was wrong.

"It doesn't matter. We'll take shifts again regardless." Hikari's eyes narrowed. She wasn't going to let him brush it under the rug any more. Before she could open her mouth, Itachi opned his, and a thin line of blood poured out. He coughed.

"Itachi!" The woman quickly found a place for him to sit, and made a wood style fire pit. Itachi held his hand up to make hand signs, but Hikari stopped him with her own. "Please, you have to take a break from using fire style. I'll make a fire."

Itachi sit on his mat next to the fire, silently dreading what would come next. Hikari forced back her unease, putting on the face of a doctor.

"Where is the pain?" Itachi gestured to his kidneys and his back, disappointed in himself for not being stronger. Her eyebrows furrowed. He had never gestured towards his back before. "If it's not too much to ask, I need you to lift up your shirt just a little." Reluctantly, he lifted the fabric. The warm, orangy glow flickered across his slender but toned lower back, illuminating two light reddish bruises. She grimaced.

"Itachi, how long has it been like this?" He avoided her eyes.

"It began two weeks ago..." Hikari bit her lip in remorse. His secrecy hurt her.

"I wish you would just trust me." The green light of the mystic palm warmed his back as she began the restorative process. Itachi held his breath as her soft hands barely hovered over his skin. The pain in his stomach began to fade. He toyed with several possible replies, not wanting her to be hurt. He didn't want to put any tension between the two, especially after what he gathered tonight. If what he had seen in her reaction to his testing comments were true, Hikari's feelings were more than that of a professional or a friend. It didn't matter then, how he felt for her. No matter if she healed him or not, Itachi would die in several years time. He had lived his life playing the villain, barring himself from any close attachments. The last thing he wanted was to cause her any more pain than what she had probably suffered.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Hikari," Itachi began, but couldn't quite come up with a convincing explanation.

"Then what is it? We've got to get you better if you want to continue your dream." She looked at him from behind, smiling. From her eyes Itachi could tell that this healing was simply standard medical procedure. It's not as if she hadn't healed the wounds of other males in the past as a medic. He sighed.

"It's nothing. I should have told you," he lied. In another moment, Hikari finished the treatment, stretching her arms out with a sigh.

"Here, eat this," Hikari instructed, handing Itachi a simple green herb. "We have no kettle to make tea." Itachi eyed the plant, but slowly began chewing. It tasted almost like garlic.

"What if the remedies you've found don't work, Hikari?" Itachi dared ask.

"Then I'll just have to keep searching. Your relapses haven't been happening as often, so don't lose faith. We have plenty of time to keep trying."

In the Akatsuki hideout located closest to the Land Hidden in the Rain, Obito turned away from his orb to look at Pein and Zetsu.

"When I saw them simply having long conversations I didn't worry. But after tonight I grow more concerned. Dancing with her? This girl has shifted his priorities away from the organization."

"I sent them on a mission, Madara. We cannot assume his reasoning," Pein respectfully defended.

"Perhaps that is all it was, but I cannot afford to risk keeping them together any longer. Zetsu, tell me again what you saw." White Zetsu spoke.

"Perhaps it was my imagination, but it seems he treats her differently than other women he's been around. He spent half an hour watching her after he helped her sleep." Pein looked almost surprised. This was a side he had never seen in the teenage boy.

"The Akatsuki has never limited its members personal lives. As long as they continue with missions as normal, there's no reason to set them apart."

"I must make sure I understand their motives. We cannot afford to have the two of them betray us under our noses."

"Then what will you have us do?" Obito put a hand on his hip.

"Kisame has almost completely finished healing. Itachi will return to missions as planned. As for Hikari... I have something else in mind.

The next morning, the two arrived back to the current hideout to find Konan, Pein, and Kisame waiting to greet them. They halted in their tracks, confused.

"You three. What's going on?" Itachi inquired. It was Pein who spoke.

"Itachi. Hikari. We must speak with you inside."

In a dimly lit room, each person's face faintly glowed from the light of a single candle. It was Kisame who spoke next.

"What's all of this about?" Pein explained.

"Itachi, Kisame has regained the strength he needs for your next mission. We will begin gathering the tailed beasts starting tomorrow. It's time to split up from Hikari." Hikari felt her heart sink. What would they do with her?

"Hikari, for this next mission, you will be on hand, assisting them. Afterwards, you will have no permanent partner. However, you are too valuable a member to dispose of." Hikari thought to her self. Dispose of? Had they initially considered killing her? "You will partner with Konan on missions, and maintain the bases while she has other duties to fulfill." The woman nodded her head.

"Understood." Konan smiled at her, though her eyes remained cold as ever.

"Very well. We will prompt you on the details of the mission as a group with the rest tonight. You may leave." Hikari exchanged glances with Itachi, knowing they would both meet up in her room when they got the chance. Before she could head upstairs, Pein stopped by Itachi's side. "In between missions, Hikari is to continue healing you. In your off hours, your mentor has instructed you to keep training with her." The red haired man walked away, and Itachi felt relief and nervousness creep into his stomach.

That night as usual, Itachi knocked on Hikari's door. But this time it was different. He looked at her and from the extent of their friendship he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was troubled. Her confidence faltered. A seed of doubt crept into his stomach as he wondered if things would stay the same between them.

"We'll still see each other right?" Hikari said the thoughts on his mind. Itachi nodded and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I'll be here any time I'm not staying at another base for a mission. We still have to train together to get stronger, right? You still have to surpass me." His voice was light and encouraging.

"And I still have to heal you," Hikari nodded in agreement, though she didn't believe his last wish. But he could tell that she still wasn't satisfied. Without really knowing why, Itachi found himself resting a hand on her shoulder.

"No matter how long Kisame and I have worked together, I will continue to consider you as my ideal teammate. We worked well together. And I have a feeling we will have more time together in the future." Hikari looked at him with gratitude, shooting him a slanted smile.

"Thank you Itachi, for everything."

Kisame and Itachi sat together on a hill, a long distance away from their targets. Two deceased Sand ninja lay in front of them. They created a small gash on their fingers producing just enough blood, drew symbols on the men, formed the hand seal, and molded their victims into clones of themselves. The two clones stood in front of them, completely identical. It was the first time they had used the jutsu.

"Couldn't you have just coughed into your hand instead of drawing blood?" Kisame inquired, perhaps a bit too nosily.

"Hikari recently healed me, so for the moment, no." Kisame calmly assessed his friend's stoic face.

"Ah, I see. Must be nice to have had a partner to look after those wounds. I could tell before how genuinely she wanted to heal you." Itachi didn't waste time beating around the bush.

"What are you implying?" His tone was flat.

"Nothing, nothing," Kisame defended with a shrug. "I simply mean to say that it seemed good for you that she was here." Itachi stayed silent; keeping a cold and uncaring demeanor towards his partner was something Itachi had gotten himself in the habit of. But today, Kisame pressed further.

"Is there anything between the two of you that I should know about?" This time, the raven haired man turned to the man.

"Hikari and I were strictly professional with each other. Our similar principles created a smooth teamwork dynamic. We are of similar mind." It wasn't a complete lie. But his sociopathic facade could not allow for him to discuss the extent of their friendship. Kisame looked at him with piercing eyes.

"Is that so..." The clones walked in separate directions after brief instructions, each headed to serve as separate diversions against the Leaf and Sand. "I wonder, do you regret leaving that team to rejoin with me?"

"There was no reason for me to remain with her. It is you who was so adamant about capturing the four tails, correct?" Kisame nodded his head, smirking.

"Ah, well in that case, I feel quite appreciated," Kisame was being sarcastic. "At least you had a good five months with a girl willing to make such sacrifices for you to heal." Itachi couldn't stand passive aggressiveness.

"Kisame, I told you before. You didn't have to injure yourself so severely for me. But again... I am very grateful," Itachi's voice softened somewhat uncharacteristically to what Kisame was used to. Perhaps the woman had softened him. But regardless, Kisame could tell in his face that his partner truly meant it.

Hikari drifted silently in the branches of the trees, following the team of Leaf Ninja. Her presence was completely erased. Below her and a ways ahead walked four shinobi, two of who she had seen before, and one who she knew well. In order, Sakura Haruno, a young kunoichi who had been obsessed with Itachi's younger brother, Naruto Uzumaki, the nine tails jinjuuriki who yearned to be Hokage despite having the polar opposite temperament of an ideal Hokage, and lastly Kakashi Hatake. Hikari had worked in the ANBU with Kakashi for a time before he left, though they had never been on the same team. If he was the jounin in charge of the two kids, Hikari had to be careful. Even with her presence erased, Kakashi had a sixth sense.

Walking beside him, Hikari overheard the two genin arguing.

"If that Grandma Tsunade sent us to save Gaara too late, then she's more of an idiot than I thought! I'd never forgive her!"

"Idiot, she told us as soon as she knew! You moron..." The pink haired kunoichi punched her teammate on the arm.

_Grandma Tsunade... was Naruto really a close descendant of my aunt?_ Hikari briefly considered the possibility that he descended from Hashirama's wife Mito, before quickly discarding the idea. The timing didn't match up at all. Knowing what she did of Naruto, he must have simply called her that because of her age. The quartet trailed off into the distance, and to her right Konan appeared in a flurry of white paper.

"From what you know of those three, do you believe we are well prepared?" Konan inquired.

"Itachi can distract the three without any problem for long enough. Kakashi is no match. As for the old woman, I've never seen her before."

"The woman is a sand village elder and a healer. She possesses the ability to bring back the recently deceased in exchange for her life." Hikari raised an eyebrow.

"I've never heard of that jutsu before. I admit I'm a bit envious." A vision popped into her head. "Do you think she'll attempt to revive the one tails jinjuuriki?"

"It's of no concern to us either way. We seek the tailed beasts. We will handle the other pieces on the board later. Come. We have our own mission." When the two were out of the forest and in the sandy planes, Konan began to explain their task.

"Targeting the Kazekage caused chaos to ensue in the village. More people will likely be on their way in an effort to rescue him. It is our job to ensure that no Sand shinobi interfere with our plans. We will guard the perimeter."

"The map is over three miles in diameter. How do you propose we guard as a unit and keep in communication?" Konan looked at her through the side of her eye, and gave a soft smile.

"Like this." Hikari admitted that she had never seen Konan work. She was more often than not working in partnership with Pein, and serving as the Angel in the rain village. White pieces of paper formed into feathers, enveloping the woman's arms and back, forming into wings. Hikari was so transfixed by the sight that she almost didn't realize the same paper feathers were wrapping around her own form, that is, until they began to lift off the ground.

"Woah-" the younger woman gasped. Konan unenthusiastically lifted them, connected to each other, up above the treetops and into the sky. The wind licked and tore at her hair; the view from so high up was both terrifying and exhilirating.

"Have you ever been this high up before?" Konan projected into the wind. Hikari shook her head no. "Your sensory abilities and my paper wings are an ideal combination for keeping watch. We will only have to orbit a small radius for you to sense any incoming shinobi." Hikari nodded, trying to remain as calm as her partner. Konan shot her a small smile, an expression that wasn't particularly common on the often stoic woman. "It's kind of fun, isn't it? Flying." Hikari grinned. Maybe Konan and her could be friends.

"Yeah. It feels like being free."

"You should ask Deidara to take you for a ride on one of his clay flying creatures. That's even more exciting. I'm certain he would take you." For some reason, Hikari sensed a hidden motivation in her words, and felt apprehensive.

"Maybe I will one day..." Konan continued to fly them over the three battle sites, where Sasori was preparing for a future fight, Might Gai's team was just meeting Kisame's clone, and Itachi's was headed to meet Kakashi's team. Far down below, she potted Itachi himself, sitting with Kisame. Kisame waved up to him, notifying Itachi. Itachi was too visually impaired to see anything far away, but Hikari waved anyway. Konan watched her younger partner closely.

"It's nice to not be the only female any more. For years now, I've felt as if I was a token woman, barred from truly connecting with the rest of them simply because they view me differently. I know that you must understand what I mean."

"I do. I'm thankful that Itachi treats me as his equal, but when I'm not fighting with him I feel as if I'm either seen as less competent or as 'one of the guys'. I'd rather be seen simply as myself and all that I'm capable of." Konan smiled.

"Well said. Being both strong and gentle is something few have mastered, but I believe we have both mastered it..." It was evident that Konan was prepping for something. "I'm glad we can simply talk honestly. And for that reason, I also wonder... it seems as if you've become quite comfortable with Itachi. You and he are always together, yet I never see you spend much time with others in the organization. May I ask why?" Hikari was not one to fabricate an entire lie, but it was a situation she had prepared herself for.

"I was hired into this organization with healing him as my top priority. It was only natural then, that I would spend additional time strengthening the relationship with my own partner. Itachi and I share a very similar view of life, which has certainly strengthened our friendship."

"I see. And is there anything besides this friendship of yours?" Konan gave a half smile. Hikari inhaled loudly.

"I care for Itachi very much, but our friendship is strictly professional. We're just friends," Konan registered the doubt in her eyes, but didn't press further.

"You know, there are no rules against relationships in the organization. As long as you follow your missions, your life is your own."

"It doesn't matter. I am simply committed to my work, and to this organization." Hikari looked her directly in the eye, to shut down any doubt Konan might be feeling. "How about you? Are you more than colleagues with Pein? The two of you have been working closely for many years now." Konan sent her a meek, sly smile.

"It's complicated." They continued to fly over the scene in silence for a moment. "I would like to see you interact more with the other members of the Akatsuki, Hikari. Make new friends." Hikari nodded. Though the two of them had established an open dynamic, Konan was one of the leaders of the Akatsuki. Their friendship was that of elder, more experienced fighter, and her. A small smile ran across Hikari's face as she was reminded of her other blue haired friend. "There, in the distance. Several men are headed to intercept fighting ground A. We will stop them there."

Months passed. Upon the Death of Sasori, Hikari was given his ring, which read 'gyoku' and was violet in color. When Pein handed it to her, she put it on and a small flow of chakra flowed through her body, causing her fingernails and toenails to turn turquoise. The first and second jinjuriki's were captured, sealed into the gedo statue. Itachi and Kisame resumed their missions as before he had ever met her. But Kisame could tell that she had changed him somehow. When he mentioned it to his younger partner, Itachi would simply brush his comments off. Hikari spent her days on missions with Konan, and with all of her spare time, she trained to get stronger or made energy patches for the organization. Separately, they would study old scrolls in search of new jutsu and fighting techniques. Occasionally, she would sense the presence of Itachi's mysterious mentor, but the presence left her alone for the most part. Itachi would come to her on occasion for healing, but to their great surprise, those times were becoming less and less frequent. Hikari dared wonder if his illness was beginning to leave for good. The two saw each other from time to time, but as they grew older Itachi began to become more distant. Not that he didn't observe her from time to time in secret, he was simply afraid of forming too deep an emotional attachment and ultimately hurting her.

Six months went by. Itachi and Hikari had both turned 19 when it happened. The others had begun to attend battles between the two debatably strongest team members in the Akatasuki. On this day, all but Kisame and Zetsu sat on the sidelines of a large expanse of land, watching the two rivals fight.

The two looked at each other, having memorized almost all of each others' moves. Itachi understood Hikari's mind, and could read her intentions on body language as long as he was close enough. Hikari could anticipate his decisions through intuition alone, regardless of whether or not her eyes were open. Pein stood, and instructed the two of them.

"This will be anything goes battle. We're located close enough to civilians that only your largest jutsu are prohibited today. Begin."

There was stillness and silence as both waited for the other. The smallest movement in the air could set off the fight. A single leaf hit the ground and Itach's sharingan activated just as Hikari's eyes closed. A rush of shurriken headed straight for Hikari like a hornet's nest. Eyes tight shut, Hikari located each weapon through sound and remote viewing alone. She threw an equal amount of senbon needles, each attached to her by an invisible chakra thread. They shot through the holes of Itach's shurriken, and with a wave of her hands, she swung the entire mass of metal over her head and back at him. Needles shot towards him, and Itachi burst into birds.

Itachi migrated behind her, in the blind spot 10 degrees to the left of her spine, as he had calculated months earlier. Hikari of course, knew this and slipped into the ground. Trees rose from the earth, tall and arching over Itachi, blinding him in the shade. Roots migrated up his legs, trapping him to the ground. As thorns and branches shot out of the shadows, Itachi located each of them with sound, as he had been training himself to do with his fading eye sight. He set each wooden needle on fire, and when they hit he burst into smoke.

Hikari had been taken by surprise. He could substitute himself more quickly, and with her eyes closed, she could not always detect it. The miniature forest began to be consumed in black flames, providing just enough distraction for a split second delay. By the time the woman turned around, Itachi was already upon her with his blade. Hikari just barely back flipped of the branch of the tree before he slashed it down.

"There they are!" Kakusu pointed to the others, as they watched Hikari leap out of the trees onto the ground. Itachi followed her with black flames shooting from his eye. The two began fighting with a combination of wood style against fire, burst of luminescent water against susanoo.

"How are either one of them going to win if they each cancel each other out? They're like yin and yang," Konan commented.

"They have each been learning new techniques. But Itachi simply has to corner Hikari into opening her eyes if he wants to win." Pein answered.

Sword pressing against sword, Itachi could sense his chakra was going to be the first to give. He flipped backwards, giving some distance between the two. Hikari could hear him quietly heaving. He needed to end this match now, no matter how uneventful an escape from her prowess it might be.

"Getting tired already?" Hikari commented, arm on her hip.

"You underestimate my sharingan. I have only to lift a finger and you will be trapped in my genjutsu." It was a jutsu he had first tried on Naruto and his team. Hikari smirked.

"Is that so?" She sighed, tilting her head back. The woman could feel her spirit lift away from her physical body, sending chills down her spine. Hovering outside of her body, she had only just enough control to control her limbs if he were to pursue her. "Do you remember that day, when you told me how genjutsu takes an effect on the brain? Well Itachi, I'm not in my body. There's not much you can do to effect the chakra flow in my brain if there's not much spiritual energy in my body to begin with," Itachi raised an eyebrow and lifted his finger. Had she found a loophole? He gathered the last of his chakra and visualized the very same wooden spikes he had paralyzed Orochimaru with the day he cut off the wretched man's hand. It was a painful jutsu, but he knew Hikari was strong enough to handle it. At the very least, it would hold her down long enough for him to finish the fight.

The woman gasped as she felt a feint flow of chakra enter her brain, then a sharp pain in her abdomen along with her back, arms and legs. Itachi watched her bend at the waist, effected by the brutal amount of pain. And for a moment, Hikari was almost brought back to her body. Using all of her mental energy, she managed to stay hovering outside of it. Outside of her body, she was numb to physical pain. To Itachi's horror, the woman straightened herself out, and took a step forward. Then another. Itachi was impressed and intimidated to the point of chills at what he assumed was an increased pain resistance. His stomach filled with remorse.

"Holy S**t," Hidan breathed, leaning in to see the ending along with every one else who was glued to the scene. "Whatever bloody jutsu he's got her in, she can move through the pain! I've got to work harder if I want to beat her."

I certainly couldn't move if I was in her position, even if a shinobi was using this jutsu to interrogate me. He thought to himself.

"You look terrified, my friend. You have nothing to worry about. I'm not in much pain at all," Hikari spoke as if concealing a juicy secret. She was almost upon him, standing less than five feet away. With one last move, Itachi's breath was stolen from him.

Hikari opened her eyes. They were close to lifeless. Her posture was still confident however, and she smiled, speaking loud and clear so that everyone could hear.

"I suppose this is one for the history books... On Wednesday, March the 23rd... Hikari Senju of the Leaf Village became the first non-uchiha to resist the mangekyo sharringan."

"..What?!" Itachi's eyes were wide open, not caring if everyone else could see his bafflement.

"Wooo Hikari! You show that Uchiha, un!" Deidara wrung his fists in celebration. Konan's face lit up as well. With a loud, fierce yell, Hikari lifted her kunai in an attempt to lunge at his neck. Itachi had a split second to escape and fall back, when he realized that his chakra was almost gone.

"Let's end the match," Pein declared. They were glad that he did. Just as the match was over, Hikari lost control of her spirit body and fell back into her physical one. The carryover pain from Itachi's jutsu was enough to knock her off her feet. Itachi caught her just before she hit the ground. He held her athletic form, hands shaking. Had that really just happened? He looked down into his friend's hazy eyes and couldn't help but melt into a soft smile. The eyes that had formerly turned lifeless were now her eyes again. He couldn't name the reason why her fierce dedication to their training affected him, but suddenly a new feeling welled in his stomach. Hikari's strength and cleverness didn't just impress him... if he was completely honest with himself, it truly attracted him too. No, before he could let that thought sit in his mind, he put on his cold exterior one more.

"Someone should take Hikari to her room. I must recover before my next mission." The woman felt his hands let go of her shoulders, and in the haze that was her brain, her heart sunk. If she was honest, she wished his hands would have lingered. It was Deidara who came over to lift her up off the ground.

"You really gave it your all, huh? But from the looks of it Itachi still would have creamed you, un." Hikari smirked, too tired to lash out at him.

"He was almost out of chakra. It was almost a draw... most of the fights we have are more mental than anything, and Itachi is a genius.. so I'm satisfied with that," suddenly, something was clearly wrong. It was as if an electric current was beginning to flow through her body. "Wait.. Itachi come back..." He turned around. Then she had a seizure.


	10. Mistakes In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since the age of four, Itachi had been pushed into growing far too fast. If he were honest with himself, he had been an adult since he was twelve or thirteen. But life as a ninja had not prepared him for all of adult life, and there were still occasional instances when he became aware of just that. As much as it was hard for him to accept, on the inside in many ways he was still just an ordinary, somewhat awkward, very hormonal teenager. 
> 
> Hikari could not say quite as much. Her life had matured her in all respects, much too soon. It was because of the abnormal life she lead that on this particular occasion, she was happy to take part in the night's activities. What activities are those? Hidan's hyped- up birthday party of course. With food, friends and plenty to drink, perhaps this could be the night when the two of them could just pretend to be normal teenagers where nothing would go wrong. 
> 
> But of course, in the life of the two unfortunate souls, nothing ever went to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so a quick warning before you start reading this chapter, it does include some more adult content. Nothing graphic or anything, definitely appropriate for the website and for teens, just enough implied stuff to allow for the appropriate amount of hormonal teen angst for the characters at this point in the story. This was one of my favorite chapters to write, and I really hope you guys like it. So with that out of the way, read on!

Itachi sat at the side of Hikari's bed as she slept, watching the woman's shoulders peacefully rise and fall. He couldn't help but notice the way the red satin blanket curved with her hips as she slept on her side, facing away from him. In time, she rolled to her back and her eyes began to stir, eventually opening to find him.

"Itachi?" the kunoichi attempted to rise from her bed before he rested an arm on her shoulder, gently pushing down.

"You should be easy on yourself. There's no need to get up just yet. You really gave it your all." Hikari lay back down, on her back this time.

"What happened?"

"You had a seizure. Whatever you did to escape my mangyekyou must have resulted in a change to the flow of electricity through your brain. Hikari, what you did was indeed historic, but it would be unwise to do it again. I don't want you getting hurt." Hikari's eyebrows furrowed, clearly unwilling to give up on the technique.

"If I just study a little more, the electrical change can be accounted for." Itachi started to counter, concerned for his friend and worried she would hurt herself, but decided against it. Hikari had found a way to counter his jutsu- so he shouldn't underestimate her capabilities to strengthen her technique. "How long have I been out?"

"You were only unconscious for a couple of minutes. Then you slept for an hour. I came in a while ago to check on you." Hikari imagined him sitting by her bedside, watching over her. It was almost enough to make her blush. She looked away from him and smiled.

"Thanks for the company."

Missions resumed as normal, and in the times when Konan had other duties to fulfill, Hikari was tasked with stocking on medicines for Itachi and the rest of the organization. It was unwise of Pein to only have selected a single medical ninja, even if it was true that the difficulty of their missions didn't provide many opportunities for an injury an S ranked ninja couldn't handle on their own. But after the day she had resisted Itachi's genjutsu, things had changed between them. Itachi was beginning to show himself less and less, to the point she was wondering if he had been avoiding her. If that's the way it was, then she decided to devote time to building more positive relations to the others, fully understanding that she was under scrutiny.

Itachi worked with Kisame to search for the four tails. Together, they walked through the Land of Fire, spying on farming communities where the man said he'd be disguised. On one particular day, Kisame was initiating a pointless conversation about the night they had had before. Kisame had been lightly interrogating a woman in the town, coercing her for information and attempting to use charm. On this particular day, it actually worked- both ways. The woman had little useful information, but he had invited her to grab drinks, and then to the inn they had been staying at. Itachi had had to suffer through a large part of the night avoiding the obnoxiously loud female noises that could be clearly heard through the wall. Of course, he had slipped out to take a midnight walk, but it was irritating even so.

"I only wish this line or work wasn't so mobile. I would give a mission's pay to see her again." Itachi continued to walk silently, seeing no point in discussing his musings. "Itachi, I know that you're not a man of feeling, but it might be good for you to take a night out with a lady. It might help you loosen up at the very least," the sharklike man chuckled. Itachi closed is eyes and sighed. "Seeing how they look at you and interact with you it would be almost effortless."

"Kisame, you know I don't prioritize such trivial things. My aim is only to complete the missions of our organization until the day I face my younger brother." Itachi had crafted a story for all of the Akatsuki's members shortly after Kisame had first seen Sasuke. His aim was to test him, ultimately stealing his eyes to restore his own sight and increasing his strength. Kisame was not persuaded.

"The first day we met, it was you who told me we were both human. You can't deny yourself a human's natural needs no matter how heartless you are. Since I've known you, you aged into a man, yet I've never seen you with a single woman!" Kisame looked to his younger partner, tilting his head. "Even if it isn't women that catch your eye it's all fine with me.."

"I'm not interested," Itachi ended the man's sentence tersely. Itachi half wondered if Kisame was referring to himself. The tone had more edge to it than his ordinary burst of irritation. Kisame wondered if it was specifically because of last night.

"What's gotten into you?" Kisame dared ask. "You've made it more than clear that nothing exists between you and Hikari." Itachi let the comment hang in the air, silently. "Fine; you know you can make the ultimate decision, but just think about it for me, will you? Hidan and Kakuzu are bringing in a whole party of women for Hidan's birthday. And I'm sure they won't be the only ones to partake. See if there is one you might like. It could definitely ease some of that tension," he chuckled again, referencing the way Itachi had uncharacteristically snapped. Itachi walked on, tuning out the nonsense of his friend. It certainly wouldn't be like this if Hikari was the one walking by his side...

"Yeaahh!" Hikari cheered as wind blew through her hair. In front of her, Deidara jolted the reins to his clay steed, prompting it to fly higher.

"I hoped you would like it, yeah!" The blonde man looked slightly behind him and smiled.

"It feels like freedom. After someone dies, I see their body lift off into the sky, but I've never seen them this high. I wonder why."

"You're so weird, un. Why do you have to be such a downer?" he smirked. Hikari gave him a playful punch on the arm.

"Death is the most normal thing in the world. It happens to everyone, doesn't it?" Deidara shrugged.

"Except for Hidan, of course! His head will be here forever." Hikari half frowned.

"How awful that must be." Deidara chuckled.

"What? To never get the chance to go out with a bang?" Hikari laughed and shook her head.

"No, that the world will never be rid of that obnoxious extremist brain of his!" A gust of wind hit the clay bird from underneath, jolting the two and sending them further downward. "Woah!" Hikari found herself holding on to the blonde on reflex to keep herself from falling off. Deidara took a moment to steady the two of them, but turned to her smiling with a glint in his eye.

"You don't like many members of the Akatsuki, is that it?" Hikari chose her words carefully.

"I have nothing against them. I guess I just don't like when people are so uptight all the time. It weighs on a person. Not like this though..." It was true, the view down below was beautiful. It was just trees and forest for miles.

"Well I'm glad you chose me, un," his voice seemed smug yet satisfied as if he had won something. They stayed that way in silence for a while. "Wait a minute, if you don't like uptight, then why do you hang out with Itachi all the time? The two of you are friends yet he's the most uptight person I know. That stuck up guy can't sit back and enjoy himself for a second." Hikari thought about that.

"He's not uptight in the same way. The others get into fights with each other all the time. Itachi only fights when he has to. Besides... it's not like we talk that much any more. Not since I almost beat him in that spar."

"I told you. He's stuck up. It probably bothered him that anyone had the chance of beating him. His ego is so big that he only really cares about himself. I'm not like that. I gotta admit, it was pretty cool to see a girl fight him so hard and almost win," Deidara said, oblivious to the fact he had just insulted her. Hikari shot him a dry glance.

"That's another way the two of you are different. Itachi would never lower his expectations simply because of my gender. Take me back down," the blonde looked at the emotionally closed off kunoichi and realized his mistake.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that it was cool to see an example of how girls are just as capable as guys, un!"

"And how long will women need to keep proving that before it stops being 'cool' and not 'of course?' Take me down."

Itachi returned from the mission with a bruise on his stomach and was therefore forced to confide in the kunoichi who would not stop haunting his thoughts. She joined him at the side of his bed as he lay down, hiking up his shirt just below his waist band. Hikari silently began to heal him from the inside out, unsure of what to say. It had been over a month since they had really had a conversation together. She could confront him about his stand-offishness, but only at the risk of jeapordizing the relationship they still had. It was best to pretend that nothing was wrong.

Itachi looked up at the long haired kunoichi, concentrating on repressing any of his confused feelings in case she sensed them. He had no doubt that his absence was hurting her, but it was better than the alternative. It was wisest not to get enmeshed with her feelings; to stay alone if only to spare her from the loss of his inevitable death. In order to ensure the vessels did not reopen too soon, Hikari placed her soft hands on his stomach hear his left ribs. Itachi noticed her eyes closed, and cold sense her apprehension from the contact. Her lips pressed tightly together as if to hold words inside her mouth. She probably thought he hated this now. If only she knew how desperately he wanted her hands to linger, to work their way up... or down. He hated himself for thinking this way. The sounds of the night Kisame had slept with that woman echoed through his mind, and no matter how much he resented what the man had told him the morning after he could not escape the truth of it. Itachi had been a man long before he turned eighteen, and he needed the warmth of a woman; the healing touch that only romance could offer. Hikari noticed then that the man was barely breathing. She looked at him with concern.

"Is everything alright?" Itachi noticed he must have been holding in his air, but he couldn't quite get himself to breathe normally.

"I'm fine," the man looked at her with eyes that clearly were trying to hide something. Hikari realized it must have been her touch that had altered his breathing and then noticed that his pulse had also changed. Had she gone too far? Had she lingered for too long? To Itachi's surprise he detected the smallest hint of a blush. The woman nodded, biting her lip. Itachi wondered what those lips would feel like against his own. The smallest hint of arousal hit Itachi and he inwardly restrained himself, forcing himself to think instead of Sasuke.

"You can sit up again. I just have to do one more thing on your back." Just in time. Itachi sat up on the edge of the bed, allowing her to sit just slightly behind him. Warmth entered his ribs.

"How is my brother recently? It's almost time for Orochimaru to begin his body transferal."

"He's getting much stronger. He's making plans to overtake the sennin and gather a team to begin tailing you." Hikari was close enough that he could feel her body heat as the mystic palm almost completed. Itachi chuckled.

"He won't be able to find us until I allow him to. Hikari, keep a close watch on him until we can determine the day when Orochimaru makes his move."

"I always have been watching him closely. I plan to infiltrate the hideout and stand by in case Sasuke needs my assistance. When he escapes, I'll report back to you and continue monitoring his growth." Itachi was taken aback by her loyalty and dependability. .

"Thank you, Hikari." The woman lightly chuckled. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe he hadn't cast her aside.

"Of course. That's why I'm here right? To help you."

"It's certainly more than I deserve." Hikari's eyes grew stern.

"I will deeply disagree with that statement for as long as I live." Hikari applied the finishing touches to her treatment before removing her hands from around his ribs. The moment she did, Itachi ached for the contact to return.

A week later, Hikari was dragged out of her room by none other than Hidan.

"What the hell is going on?!" Hikari struggled to resist his tight grip as he pulled her from her doorway and headed down stairs. When they had reached the ground floor, Hikari saw that candles lit up the room. For a second, nothing that could possibly need so many candles came to mind. She surveyed the room, and suddenly feared that he had set them up for her. If drunk Hidan thought that grabbing her and seducing her with candles was going to work, he was completely out of his mind. On the counter, a large arrangement of food was half-hazardly displayed, consisting of bottles of Sake, grilled steak and other meaty dishes, and on the side, a medium sized chocolate cake.

"It's my birthday!" The man raised his arms above his head. "It's one of the only ways I can measure the passing of time. This is technically only my twentieth twenty second birthday. Kakuzu tells me that eventually I'll stop celebrating but until then, I'm going to live it up like I'm not immortal! Aren't you gonna help me celebrate?" Hikari gave a light nervous chuckle. From what she understood of Hidan, his wild side was completely unrivaled and often got himself into trouble.

"I don't know..." The man patted her on the back of the shoulder.

"Come on, woman! You spend your nights cooped up in your room like you don't want to live! Get out a little!" Almost as if on que, Konan emerged from her own hallway, making her way towards Hikari.

"I asked Hidan to invite you. Everyone will be downstairs shortly. This will be a good way to become more involved with the other members." Almost as if reverting to a younger version of herself, Hikari pouted.

"I've been in this organization for two years! What more do I have to do to show you I've been accepted?" Konan smirked, taking something from behind her.

"Drink with us."

In his room, Itachi was having a similar argument with Kisame.

"Just go down for an hour!" The older man gently persisted, facing Itachi's turned back.

"There isn't any point."

"Why does there always have to be a point with you? I made chocolate cake." Itachi turned away from the window.

"Bring some up to me if you're so anxious for me to try it, then." Kisame shook his head bemusedly.

"It's not about that. You never allow yourself to let yourself loose. If anything, let it be an escape from your thoughts. A genius like you is bound to need an escape from their brilliance some time." Itachi considered it. It was true that he often longed to escape the pain of life. More recently, he desperately needed a way to distract himself from Hikari.

"Fine. I'll have one drink. Now leave me be." Kisame smirked, exiting the room.

Gathering up the energy to even be near so many people at once, Itachi looked at himself in the mirror. He imagined what Sasuke might look like now. Did he have the same narrowing jawline or the same slightly dark circles under his eyes? Did his mouth almost tilt into a frown like their father or did he carry himself with gentle poise like their mother? How did he carry himself when he knew no one was there to see? He wondered if his younger brother had found himself a woman or if he, too, had forced himself into solitude in single minded preparation for their final day together. Itachi's onyx eyes were void of light, conveying little. It was only by reading the lines in his skin that one could gauge the brutal amount of darkness and pain he had put himself through in his short life. Kisame was right. He needed an escape from his life, from his world. Not bothering to straighten himself up, he headed down the stairs.

The burning sake flowed through Hikari's veins like gentle poison. A little dizzy, Hikari laughed lightheartedly while talking to Konan, Deidara, and Hidan.

"Art is an explosion!" The blonde almost whooped, holding his glass into the air.

"Art is faith!" Hidan countered. "It's an expression of the glory of Jashin!" Hikari shook her head.

"You're both wrong. Art is the expression of the self. We find things beautiful because we see a piece of ourselves in them." Deidara and Hidan both paused their argument to consider that. Steps could be heard from the stairs, and they turned to see Itachi making his way down.

"Itachi, come drink with us!" Hikari smiled and waved. Silently, the man walked to the counter, pouring himself a rather large cup full and setting a piece of cake onto a small plate. Konan chuckled at the sight of the normally sober Uchiha taking so much at once. Resisting the burning in his throat, Itachi downed the glass and poured another.

"Itachi, are you okay," Hikari looked to him, a little worried. He took a bite of cake.

"Everything is fine, Hikari," Her friend didn't even look her way.

The door opened then, and to her surprise, Kakuzu entered with five young women, each clad in revealing dresses and heels. Hikari looked to her friend, shooting him a 'what in the world is this party becoming' look, to which Itachi only turned to look on to the incoming guests.

"I found you some escorts," Kakuzu gestured to Hidan. "I drugged their drinks so they won't remember where this place is," Hikari looked at the man incredulously, angered by his total lack of respect. Hidan grinned, getting up to join them. He wrapped his arms around two of them.

"Deidara, Itachi, Kisame! Let me introduce you to my favorite ladies, Umi and Chihiro! We have quite a history together but they told me they'd be more than happy to share the love with my comrades in arms." Hikari felt a pit in her stomach.

"Get them out, Hidan. If they're drunk or drugged they can't tell you yes."

"As if I'd listen, slut! This is my party and I'll do whatever I want with them. Besides, they agreed to come before Kakuzu gave them anything."

"It doesn't matter. They need to leave!" Deidara saw she was clearly quite upset. Hikari knew she wasn't strong enough to go against the lot of them even if Itachi helped her. And why wasn't he doing anything? Itachi's eyes trailed slowly across the five of them, appearing unconcerned. Hikari understood that he had to keep his sociopathic facade intact, but Itachi was polite and moral even as that version of himself.

"You're just jealous that we didn't ask you first. Konan, Hikari, you can come up if you want. Heck, girl on girl is even better."

"Silence," Konan warned him. "If you want to keep your place within this organization, I suggest you show some respect." Hidan shrugged, making his way over to the worn out couch in the next room. Hikari stared blindly at the counter. Kisame left his seat, so Deidara scooted closer.

"Prostitutes make you really upset, is that it? You don't like that they give themselves away so easy, un?" The woman took another gulp of her drink.

"It's not that. It's their life, they can do what they want to. But drugging them so they're not in their right mind means they can't say yes even if they wanted to in the beginning. Hidan and everyone else can do what they want to, but not at the expense of those women. I hate myself for not being strong enough to take them on myself. I'd tear this place to the ground if I had to."

"Pein and Konan would probably get rid of you if you did that, yeah." Deidara smiled understandingly.

"He's right, Hikari. It's not worth it. Not if you don't want to hurt our organization." The statement was a test from Konan, that she understood. Either put up a fight, or risk her loyalty to the Akatsuki come under serious questioning. The younger woman made a tight fist under the table, hating the situation. It was very clear to her that Konan, likely jaded by her own life, was not the friend she thought she was. Soon, Hidan stood up bringing his selected woman with him.

"Come on guys! Let's go upstairs. I have a secret up there that I'd love to show you," he began his ascent, followed by Kakuzu with a long dark haired lady and Kisame with a blonde woman. Hikari watched Kisame give Itachi an insistent look.

Itachi took one last gulp of his second drink, finishing it. Measuring his even voice tone, he feigned irritation.

"Alright Hidan, what is it that you want to show us?" He made his way up the stairs, to the complete delight of a woman with strawberry blonde hair and and much too much makeup for his taste. Itachi needed an escape from life. But he wouldn't sacrifice the only true, pure friendship he had. Not Hikari.

Konan excused herself from the table, heading to her own chambers, most likely to meet with Pein. Hikari watched as Itachi walked up the stairs alongside the last woman, completely taken aback. Never in a hundred years did she see that coming. Hikari had been through heart numbing missions, yet despite her emotional numbing, she couldn't help but feel loss and disappointment well inside her stomach. Only Deidara was left, with a sly smile plastered on his face.

"Hey, what did I tell you. Itachi only truly cares about himself, yeah? Let's get out of here. This party sucks anyway." Hikari knew full well that Deidara wanted more than friendship. But tonight after this happened, Hikari didn't want to be alone.

"Yeah. Lets go."

Outside, the rain was pouring. The base located in the Land hidden in the Rain was always like this, and it weighed her down. Hikari was thankful for the enthusiasm of the young man to perk her up. She sat down on the stone floor, just barely covered by the stone cave from the rain.

"Here, I brought us some cake!" the blonde came to sit next to her, handing her a plate of the chocolate dessert. She smiled, but her sadness couldn't help but seep through.

"It's still Itachi isn't it?"

"Yeah." Deidara looked to the other side of the cave, thinking.

"I'll never understand guys like that. He thinks he's better than everyone so he doesn't get attached to anyone." Everyone knew that Deidara deeply hated Itachi after the time he had been shown up and almost forced into the Akatsuki. "And because he can't care, he'll never treat you the way you deserve." The blonde turned to her, with a sly smile. "I'm not like that, Hikari. Itachi only came to the organization because of hate. He hated his clan and the village. I came because I made a deal, and I kept my promise. I came because of love. My love for my art is the only thing that keeps me sane, and what a better what to show off beauty than to be paid to use my explosives? I came because I care about what I do, yeah!" Hikari smiled. For the first time in a while, she remembered how pure and innocent his reason for joining was in comparison to Itachi's.. or even worse, in comparison to hers.

"I like that reason," she smiled, finishing her cake. The rain was cold and the vapor seeped into her bones. She shivered.

"It's cold out here, un. Here, let me keep you warm." Head still dizzy from sake, she let him wrap his cloak around the both of them, having left hers in her room.

Upstairs, Itachi lead the woman into one of the open rooms. Cheeks flushed from drinking, the young woman not much older than himself giggled.

"Looks like I'm the luckiest here. Everyone that's seen you in town is curious about you, and the fact you're from some secret organization makes you even hotter!" The woman, named Naomi threw her arm around Itach's neck, pulling him towards the bed. Itachi, having been taken off guard, found himself having to keep her steady, pulling her back. Her pupils were overly dilated.

"Naomi wait, we shouldn't do this." The woman promptly placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Why not? Don't you want me?" Her voice lifted teasingly. "Let me give you the best night of your life. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, so no one will ever know." Itachi felt himself almost freeze up as she began to caress his face with one hand, his chest with the other. Moving in closer to him, Itachi could almost feel her exposed skin of her mid rift and her cleavage against him. There was no doubt that in his drunken state he was aroused. She was an attractive woman. But the twisting of guilt in his stomach halted him in his tracks. "Come on. Why are you nervous?" She spoke softly, seductively. "No way. Is it your first time? We can go slow if you want." The woman's lips were almost upon his, and for the longest moment, Itachi felt that he would indeed succumb to his more baser needs. Before her kiss landed, he thought of the look on Hikari's face when he had left the room. Itachi recoiled.

"No. Naomi, you have to leave." Naomi's half lidded eyes opened wide, curious and feeling rejected.

"Why? What did I do wrong?"

"You're drunk, and Kakuzu drugged your sake. You won't remember any of this by the time morning comes. Because they drugged you I doubt you will fare well if you stay with them. They might harm you." The woman looked fearful now, obviously not having been told of the drug, and she looked to the door uncertainly.

"Wh- but what if they go after me?"

"I'll escort you to the door. If they notice you're leaving, I'll know and take care of it. Go. Quickly." The intoxicated girl stumbled to the doorway, quietly exiting down the stairs. Behind him, Hidan, Kisame, and Kakuzu were clearly preoccupied.

When the woman left, Itachi took a long sigh, alone in the main room. The ache in his stomach had left, free of the remorse of taking advantage of an innocent woman. He drew in a long gulp of Sake to soothe his nerves and self loathing, and thought once more of Hikari.

_I'm so sorry..._

Outside, Hikari began to stop shivering.

"Do you ever miss your village, Deidara?" The man thought for only a moment.

"There are some parts of it that I miss. I used to live in a house in the mountains and it had the best view, un! But I'm glad I'm here. When I took commissions as a rogue before, I knew that there was always a chance I could be taken out and arrested. But working within an organization gives me a sense of security. Besides, now I get to see the world, yeah!" Hikari chuckled.

"I like that too."

"Do you miss your village?" Hikari's face went from happy to serious and thoughtful. She could taste remorse in her mouth.

"No, the Leaf is pretty messed up. I almost hate it." Her words were the truth. She decided to leave out the fact she resented all of the villages in some way shape or form, and the system as a whole. "Coming here, I felt like I was freer of all of the corruption. We say what we mean, and do what we say we will. It's nice to work outside the system that I felt imprisoned in for so many years." A smile floated to her face. It was mostly true.

"You're a complicated girl, aren't you, yeah? But I kinda know what you mean." Deidara's eyes sparkled. "Besides, if I hadn't stopped flying solo, I would have never met you." Deiadara's face moved closer to hers, and feeling so empty, for a moment Hikari allowed it. She didn't need him to care about her like he did. But she was too numb to care one way or another.

Hikari, who had lowered her sensory range, felt a familiar presence. She pulled back from Deidara's oncoming lips. Itachi stepped into view.

"What are you doing." It was a statement rather than a question. Deidara heard the low voice and turned towards him.

"What is it to you, yeah?"

"Leave her be, Deidara."

"How do you know what she wants? Hikari came with me on her own, un!" Now Itach's eyes turned towards her. Hikari stared angrily back, in agreement.

"Get out," he practically commanded the younger man. Itach's eyes turned crimson.

"You wanna fight? I can take you on!" Deidara stood up, making a fist.

"I need a moment with her. Now." The Uchiha's eyes bore into him, asserting dominance and his fighting prowess. Intimidated by the idea of Itachi locking him in another genjutsu, Deidara relented.

"Fine," he turned to Hikari, who was still silently glowering below. "I'll be inside when you're done handling this psychopath. Hmph." Deidara took off into the cave's entrance, leaving her alone. A blurry image of his friend looked at him with hurt and anger in her eyes. Itachi wanted to push away such a discussion, but she deserved better.

"Hikari, come with me." Quite drunk and unlike himself, Itachi walked over to her, promptly grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her up. He lead her out of the cave, into the rain. When they were out of earshot, he faced her.

"Why were you there with him?" He was referring not to the place, but to the position in which she had put herself.

"Maybe because he actually cares about people other than himself! How could you go up there with them? How can you live with yourself?" Itachi's voice was calm.

"Nothing happened between us. I helped her to escape." Hikari paused for a moment, still filled with doubt. Itachi's posture was more slouched than normal, and he looked unstable on his feet. He was clearly quite drunk.

"I don't know if I can believe you. But even if you didn't, it doesn't matter. We could have stopped this from happening, Itachi. You didn't even look at me." Itachi wondered why this particular situation had caused her to think so irrationally. Even with alcohol in her system, she was never this rash.

"Do you hear yourself? What could we have done? If either of us had started a full scale battle in the base you would certainly have been forced to leave the organization, then ultimately discovered by our ANBU and captured, if not killed by the Akatsuki. Assisting you wasn't even a consideration. You might value your life so little to risk throwing it away for the well-being of several strangers, but I don't." Itachi was right, she knew. It was too great a risk. But that didn't stop her from feeling awful.

"You don't have to lie to be to pretend you care. These past months are evidence enough that you're tired of me. You never talk with me, you get uneasy when I'm around, Deidara's probably right. You probably hate the fact I almost beat you in that battle by resisting the sharingan. You probably think I'm a freak with my abilities."

"I'm thankful that you're strong," Itachi attempted to reassure her. His heart hurt from the effort of having to repress his emotions.

"Then why are you avoiding me?! I thought we were friends." It was understandable that Hikari was hurt by the idea of his rejection. She had probably been cast aside by so many in the village. Hikari was unabashedly herself now, but that didn't make loneliness stop hurting.

"We are friends. I need you to believe that I value you highly. It is because of that that I keep my distance. I don't want you getting hurt." Itachi observed how easily one could be brought to tell the truth under the influence. He tried to cover his tracks. "I don't want you getting wrapped into this organization more than you have to." She woman shook her head.

"That's the excuse of a coward. I can tell that the last part was a lie. Words aren't going to help you get yourself out of this. If you actually value our friendship at all, you're going to have to show it in your actions." Hikari was sopping wet. The rain had completely soaked through their hair and most of her clothes, which clung to her frame as she shivered. Her eyes almost glowed with confidence, despite her evident confusion and frustration with him. A warm, silent growl rose from the depths of his stomach, a desire only to let everything he had held in out all at once. Standing there, in the cold darkness, Itachi buried his restraints in seek of warmth and light.

"I know," the words came calmly, but as if admitting defeat. And with that, he kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyy! Happy day. Sneaky teenage Itachi found himself in a situation that he just couldn't weasel his way out of. Things are gonna pick up fairly fast from here. So once again, thank you for reading!


	11. Devotion and Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Open up wide, swallow down deep. No spoonful of sugar could make it sweet. The cancer inside, stealing my sleep. Night after night it keeps haunting me. The secrets I keep are tearing me up inside. I try to hide them in I wonder why.. I wonder why I'm still running when I know there's no escaping. Come undone, surrender is stronger. I don't need to be the hero tonight. We all want love, we all want honor. Nobody wants to pay the asking price." -Song lyrics by FFH (I do not own them.)
> 
> That song describes all of this fanfiction, but especially this chapter. It is still one of my favorite chapters to this day.

In a dizzy haze, Hikari closed her eyes, only partially grasping the fact Itachi's arms were holding her tightly against him, his smooth lips pressed against her own. Her breath hitched in her chest and her body tensed. Itachi felt it, and pulled away all too soon. In an instant, reality flooded through him as he looked at her, dazed and blushing.

"Itachi..." the words sounded confused but not unhappy. He took one step back. Had he really just done that? He had allowed for his emotions to get the best of him. Now, he would have to bear the consequences. "Why did you..." He had been to blinded by need to remember what was most important. He couldn't afford to be more than friends with Hikari. If Sasuke would soon be free of Orochimaru, then his death wouldn't come far down the line. And he couldn't bear to cause her any more grief, or himself any lingering regret.

"I have to go," he said, and let his feet carry him away from the still stunned kunoichi.

That night, Hikari tossed and turned.

_"Tell us what they did," the man with the sound village headband said, holding a whip in his hand. Hikari struggled to free herself from the chains that bound her. She had been captured, and information on her status as a keeper of the village secrets had been leaked by a spy. If she relented and told these men the truth behind Orochimaru's failure to be elected Hokage, he would leak the truth to every nation, and the village would be in grave danger on all fronts. She kept her mind sealed. No ordinary genjutsu could break her._

_"No." A sharp pain seared her side as the whip fell again._

_"What do you know?! Tell us!" the man screamed. Hikari spat blood out of the side of her mouth, wiping it on her shoulder. She glared defiantly at him._

_"Over my dead body." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "You're not going to die yet, girl. You underestimate your worth. I have a better use for you." Another whip, this time to her face. Hikari fell to the ground, dizzy. She heard the man walk away, mumbling to his team at the doorway of the room._

_"Is she gonna give?" one said._

_"She'll tell us everything she knows. All I have to do is exert a little more power over her. Kunoichi are weak and they'll never rise to great heights like our lord, but they have their uses." The other two men chuckled._

In the afternoon, Hikari sat on a hill not far away from the land hidden in the rain, where the sky was almost always clear, and the seclusion allowed for organization members to train. She wiped her brow and sat overlooking the tall trees, thinking of what had happened the night before.

Had Itachi simply been drunk and impulsive, influenced by the people upstairs? Or was this the real reason why he had left her alone for months without hardly any contact? Hikari silently laughed at herself for her confusion. As an empath, she had never had to learn to rely on body language to glean subtle emotions, not that Itachi was readable like that anyways. Instead, she simply felt emotions coming from people as if they were her own. But Itachi had seemingly blocked his emotions from her, leaving her clueless as most people would be. Closing off emotions took effort, and if he had gotten away with it for this long, then he must have felt what she felt, she concluded. Whatever the case, he hadn't come to talk with her yet.

It was only the next day, in the same spot, that Itachi finally approached her. He kept his distance, and Hikari could tell that he was hesitating. Finally, he decided to sit next to her, further than she would have liked.

"I apologize for what happened two nights ago. It wasn't my intention. I simply wasn't in my right mind, that's all." Hikari nodded, the smallest smile creeping up on her lips. She suspected that this was another one of his lies, but if he was choosing to deflect the blame completely on sake, then it meant that he was also choosing to be friends, nothing more. Hikari had never expected their relationship to grow into anything romantic, but that didn't mean she could stop feeling the way she felt.

"I understand," it was a vague response, but just as telling. "Orochimaru is making plans to take Sasuke's body soon. I'll be headed towards the Sound village tonight, and I'll bring medicine with me when I return. I suppose I'll have to leave a clone behind here. There's no way Pein or Konan will let me leave."

"I've got that handled. My mentor is invested in my fight with Sasuke. He will pull what strings he must to let you go." Hikari raised an eyebrow. In all of this time, Itachi had never shared the name of his mentor. Instead, he had simply made a game of it, challenging Hikari to pick the truth out of his own mind. Not that it particularly mattered to her. "I have to head out tonight. Kisame and I will begin targeting the four tails soon."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help track him. Did you find where he is now?"

"He's staying in a small cottage bordering the Land hidden in the Clouds. He's beginning to fear for his life, and has located himself far from any village. Capturing him shouldn't be much trouble." Hikari nodded, and rummaged through the pockets of her cloak. Itachi saw her pull out a small bag of hand made pills, and wondered if she kept them on hand for him at all times.

"Take two each day, and a blue one if you need a pain killer. I'll be waiting for you when you get back." Itachi wished he could say something more about what he did the night before. He knew she felt rejected. Instead, he rose and began his descent down the hill. "Oh and Itachi," she called after him. Itachi turned and saw that in her eyes, no matter what had happened that night, she cared about him very much. "You don't have to be ashamed of needing to take a break in front of Kisame. Take care of yourself."

Erasing any sign of her presence, Hikari calmly walked through the forest. With remote viewing and her visions, finding the location of Orochimaru's hideout was no problem. She closed her eyes and looked far away.

Sasuke was taking an afternoon nap. Hikari chuckled at the feline nature of the Uchiha brothers. Far down the hall, Orochimaru's right hand man was in a laboratory, mixing together various compounds in preparation for the aftermath of the transfer. That laboratory would be her target once Sasuke walked free. Orochimaru was in the room next door, laying in bed, weakened by the expiring body that housed his amphibious form.

In a large bag, Hikari gathered herbs, no longer hoping that one would be the cure, but that together, her medications would be enough to sustain him until he went to meet his brother. Being alone in the Sound Village was hard for her. On occasion, she would hear the movement of an animal or the wind blowing leaves behind her and jolt upright, imagining sound ninja behind her. She silently chided herself for being so fearful.

Itachi and Kisame closed the distance between themselves and their next victim. Underneath his cloak, Itachi wrapped his right arm around his waist. A sick, gooey feeling in his insides worried him, and his chest was sore. Soon, they stopped in the trees to eat a quick lunch.

"It's been a long time since I had the opportunity to challenge myself like this. Lava style against water should be quite an interesting battle. Do me a favor and stay out of it, would you? I want to have a little fun," Kisame mused, eying Itachi who had only taken a couple small bites of his food. The Uchiha hadn't said much on their way here, but Kisame knew his partner well. Itachi was getting sick again, and if he was allowing himself to take more breaks, it meant that it was getting worse. In truth, Kisame would have been happy to share the challenge with his friend. But out of concern and willingness to help Itachi in any way he would allow, Kisame pretended to be more selfish than he felt.

"Do what you want. I have no doubt you are capable of taking him on yourself," Itachi didn't look at him. He was lost in his own thoughts. "Let's settle in for the evening. We should have this mission completed within the next couple of days."

That night, Hikari snuck her way into the base through the ground, using earth style to create a small tunnel in the place where the cave came closest to the ground. Sealing it up, she proceeded to walk in complete darkness. Kabuto was preparing tea for his master 150 meters in front of her, at 2 o clock. Orochimaru was only slightly further and there, in the closest room to her, paced Sasuke. Without the need for light, Hikari made her way closer to the teen's room.

Just outside the doorway, Hikari projected a subtle message telepathically. The boy had grown exponentially in skill, but there was only a miniscule chance he had ever considered building a resistance to telepathy. She heard the boy sigh, get up, and make his way to the door. In the darkness, the woman molded herself to the wall, and Sasuke turned in the opposite direction towards the kitchen.

Hikari had kept watch on this boy for over two years for Itachi. And she had grown to care about him in theory. This was the first time she had ever seen him with her own physical eyes. Her excitement got the best of her for a split second, and her presence became visible. The boy halted in his tracks. Then he turned around. She couldn't help but smile at how very much alike he looked to his older brother. While their hair was different, the only true differences in face were the skin tone, eye brow thickness, and of course Itachi's prominent tear ducts. Sasuke had gotten much taller, and he walked with authority. She only wished she could somehow send the image to Itachi. Hikari was in the dark, but if he were to walk just a bit, he would see the outline of her hip. Instead, he turned back around.

Once he was gone, Hikari snuck into his room, in search of anything that could give her insight into his plans. In the room, there was a simple twin sized bed, a closet, a set of drawers, and a desk. Hikari silently shuffled through a neat stack of paper on the desk until she found three names underlined on an article regarding test subjects. Suigetsu Hozuki, Jugo, and Karin Uzumaki. Filing the names into memory, she continued searching until she came across light scrawling about the body transferal technique. He had lightly drawn a diagram depicting the sharingan used to reverse Orochimaru's sealing technique, which would take place in his mind.

"That's what you're planning... huh..." Hikari mumbled to herself. "Clever." An idea occurred to the woman, one that simply couldn't be resisted. Carefully sliding the desk drawer open, she sifted though various objects and leaflets until she found a small book. Hikari opened it and grinned, evilly. "Perfect."

Itachi lay on his side in an attempt to soothe the dull ache in his right lung. He swallowed one of the painkillers dry, and tried to reassure himself.

He thought back to several days ago, when he coughed up blood for the first time in a while. Madara stood behind him with his hand on his hip, watching him examine his upper body.

"I told you before, chakra suppression eventually takes its toll on a user's body. If you want to continue to hide your presence, you won't be in good health much longer." Itachi swore under his breath. He had to stay alive for Sasuke, no matter what.

"How can I get stronger?"

"You're strong enough, Itachi. Is there more to hiding your chakra that you're letting on?" Itachi lied skillfully.

"Hikari can resist the sharingan by removing the flow of her chakra from her body. If I could learn the same thing, then she wouldn't be able to fight me with her eyes closed. I'm thankful I have her as a challenge so I can get stronger, but I need to be the strongest."

"The girl is in perfect health. You, on the other hand, are not. Think of the end result of her technique. You might not mind doing damage to your gifted brain, but it would certainly be a loss for facing Sasuke." Itachi took a long sip of water to wash away the blood from his throat. Madara was right. "There is another technique I can show you. While most sharingan dojutsu rely more on a balance of physical and spiritual energy, there is one that depends largely on the physical senses. If lifting a finger does not work with her, this certainly will. Come, fight me. I will teach it to you."

Sasuke was coming back. Hikari used earth style once more to hide in the ceiling of the cave with the ability to move between rooms. Now, no matter where the battle was to take place, Hikari would see it, similarly to how Zetsu spied.

Sasuke returned to his room and began pacing once more. Occasionally he would mimic swiping with his blade, accounting for thousands of small targets. The time was upon them. The youngest Uchiha calmly walked towards the bedroom of the Snake sennin and in no time, Sasuke had attempted to stab him with his long beam of lightning. Orochimaru would certainly not go down without a fight. Hikari mentally prepared her story in the case she needed to come out and finish him off. Fortunately, it was bennficial to to tell the truth. As Itachi's partner within the Akatsuki, she had been tasked with the mission of keeping him out of harms way. Only Itachi would bring about his demise, and she was there to act as an extension of his will. The woman watched Sasuke fight with pride. He had truly gotten strong.

Blood spewed from the snake monster that was Orochimaru. And then for a moment, all was still. Orochimaru had used his own body fluids to begin the transferal ritual. Hidden in the shadows of the large stone room, Hikari silently readied herself to intervene. If, in the last second, Sasuke lost control of his plan, she would be there in an instant to finish the Sennin off herself. To her satisfaction, he handled it himself, but at a cost. Orochimaru slowly became sealed in the young body of the Uchiha, yelling and pleading all the way. Hikari would have to notify Itachi that the senin would have to be drawn out in the end. Calmly, the young Uchiha exited the room, leaving the carcass of the white snake behind.

"Itachi, you look pale," Kisame looked to the raven haired man, lifting a concerned eyebrow. It was not hard for Itachi to admit to himself that he was nervous. He felt it in his gut; it had happened. Either Sasuke had won in his fight against the sennin, or he was dead. Something inside him made him refuse the latter possibility, but the very notion still ate at his mind.

"What of it?" The young man wasn't one to talk about feelings, and discussion of his younger brother was of course strictly off limits.

"I'm worried about you," Kisame came clean. "When we get back, I'll request you take time off, or be put back with Hikari for a while."

"Hikari is working with Konan. There's no need to switch teams when we function perfectly well the way we are." Kisame shook his head.

"You act like you're avoiding her. What changed, Itachi? She was good for you." Kisame was more right than he knew. Itachi looked up at the stars. For a moment, Itachi wished his own intuitive senses weren't just based in feelings, hunches, invisible messages in the sky. Were things more clear in Hikari's mind, or did juggling potentialities make the future more convoluted?

"It's not important."

"When someone as blunt and uncomfortable with feelings as you spends months avoiding the subject, I'd be a fool believe that." Kisame was much more confrontational than his younger teammate. Itachi knew he wasn't upset, he simply cared about his friend. Itachi sighed.

"Hikari harbors sentiment towards me that is more than simple comraderie. In my current physical state the added burden of unwanted feelings is an inconvenience. That's all." Itachi turned away, trying to show that the situation was unimportant. Kisame's eyes widened.

"Is that so? I always figured something would happen between the two of you." Kisame sighed and stretched his arms out, resting them behind him. "So you don't care for the girl, but the two of you were friends. Why do you care how she feels when you're around her? Are you really that concerned that she would feel hurt? I never would have guessed that a man like you would have such a soft heart when it comes to feelings." Itachi laid down on his back, looking up again at the stars. He couldn't deny the tenderness he felt hidden deep in his heart, or the heaviness.

"I don't. It's just annoying."

Hikari waited for Orochimaru's manservant to stop crying, having dropped to his knees upon discovering Orochimaru was gone. Peering in on the sight, it seemed that Kabuto was only slightly older than herself. Soon, rage took over him. He picked himself up and ran to his own quarters. Hikari released herself from the ceiling, quickly heading to the laboratory. The light was still on. Kabuto had quite a collection of herbs, chemicals, and powders at his disposal. She had no idea how to use most of the equipment, and for a moment, she considered taking Kabuto hostage. He had experience dealing with Orochimaru's medical problems, so he likely was well versed in obscure practices. Deciding against it, she began to collect possible remedies as quickly as possible. A glass dropped in her frenzy, crashing on the ground. In his room, Kabuto rose, having heard her. Hikari had no choice. She would have to make a getaway. Talking to Sasuke as Itach's partner was one thing, but a man now vengeful towards him could use her words against him. Kabuto was thirty seconds away from the lab. By the time he arrived, she was gone.

Rushing back through the night, she arrived at the current base early the next morning. Hikari neglected to sleep. She had a lot of work to do. In her heart, only one genuine wish pulled her forward. Keep Itachi alive.

A day later, Hikari sensed the oncoming signatures of Kisame and Itachi. They were running, four tails jinjuuriki hanging limply from Kisame's sword. Hikari ran down the stairs to greet them, but when the door opened, she knew something was wrong.

"Is anyone inside?" Kisame asked.

"No... they've all gone off on missions," Hikari looked to Itachi, who was clearly in pain. Without a second pause, he took off up the stairs and Hikari followed him into his room.

To her horror, Itachi threw up at least a cup of blood into the sink. "Oh my god!" The woman rushed to his side, gently holding his hair back and supporting him over the basin.

"What happened to Sasuke," was the first thing that flooded out of the always selflessly concerned brother's mouth. Hikari couldn't help but grin.

"He's just fine. I promise." He retched again, coughing up a little more. "It's okay, it's okay," she reassured him in a hushed voice, turning on the water to wash the sink out.

"No it's not. I need to go find him. I'm running out of time," Itachi looked at her, dismay in his eyes. The sight of him in so much excruciating pain made her almost cry.

"You have time. Don't lose faith just yet. Here, let me get you a towel," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cloth, which he wiped his mouth with. "I stole medicine from Kabuto. It's enough to last us a while. Let me help you sit down." Once Itachi had managed to lay in bed with a strained sigh, he looked up at her, almost as if suddenly unconcerned with his health.

"Tell me what happened."

"He went after Orochimaru a night before the reversal was to be completed. Sasuke reversed the body transferal with his genjutsu. You'll have to draw out Orochimaru's chakra when the two of you fight. I wish you could have seen it. He's gotten stronger. He defeated him without any trouble. " A small relieved smile crept up on the elder Uchiha's face. He was so proud of his younger brother.

"I could feel him alive this morning as the sun rose. If he could take that man on without any strife, then he has indeed gotten strong." The soft glow of Hikari's jutsu seeped into him. This procedure was something they had become so used to that it was automatic, yet after that night, it was unmistakably different. From the look of her face, Itachi could tell that the woman was hesitant about contact with him at all. A light blush appeared on her face, just visible enough that he could make it out. She looked away from him.

If he was honest, Itachi didn't know if he regretted what he had done that night. It wasn't as if she treated him any differently even after he had walked away. Her actions spoke loudly that his happiness meant far more to her than her own. If he was even more honest, he still longed to do it again; to touch her in the way she touched him but stronger, longer, deeper. He wondered what the taste of her lips would be without alcohol, if the smoothness of her skin against his would feel better or worse while sober. While the woman continued to mend him, Itachi visualized running his fingers through her long hair while it was dry, making her blush deeper with every lingering touch. With these cursed thoughts running through his mind, the man fought his arousal, almost completely succeeding.

Hikari now knew the effect she had on him. She also knew that he would do everything within his power to resist his impulses. She would never overstep the boundaries he had set up for them, but that didn't meant that she could make herself forget how she truly felt. She wondered what he was thinking in that beautiful brilliant mind of his, as she treated him. Silently, heart aching, she wished he would rest his hand on one of hers, moving it to new places. He needed a different kind of healing, one that no medical jutsu could provide. Him, the man who had given her purpose in life, did not deserve this solitude. The damage to Itachi's body was intensive, yet she could not tell if it was taking so long because it needed to, or because she simply could not make herself stop. Itachi couldn't take it any more. Hikari was lifted from her thoughts when the slender hand of the male Uchiha did rest on her own.

"It's been over half an hour, Hikari. You should rest." Hikari looked deeply into his conflicted eyes and nodded, excusing herself.

That night while she was away, Itachi furiously struggled to relieve the tension that would no longer go away for long. He cursed himself and the way he felt when she was around him. He hated the way he had allowed for her to haunt his most private thoughts. Yet Kisame was right, no matter how much he tried to distract himself from the truth: Itachi needed her. With a soft gasp, Itachi brought himself a temporary release; resting back into the warmth of his bed. _Perhaps soon I will perish at the hands of my brother and then I will not suffer through this any more. There is no longing in death,_ he inwardly mused.

The four tails was sealed, and Roshi passed away promptly thereafter. A week later, Hikari flipped through the air to avoid the flaming Totsuka blade. A small smile crept up on her lips, and she made five hand signs. Out of the ground, rose two gigantic wooden twin dragons. They towered above Itachi's Susanoo. The man looked seriously at the smirking kunoichi.

"Do it, Itachi. This is your chance to get stronger," Pein ordered. Itachi felt like his skin was on fire. He concentrated his will, and felt himself rise slowly off the ground. Around him, his Susanoo grew arms, legs, and matured into it's final form. Now, the two of them towered above the trees, hair whipping in the wind.

"History certainly has a way of repeating itself. If I remember correctly, this was the jutsu combination Madara and Hashirama fought in in the valley of the end, right before Madara's defeat."

"It was. And that is why you will lose," Hikari crossed her arms, hiding her awe of the both of them.

"You forget, Hikari, that I have surpassed Madara with my two spirit weapons. This fight won't go so easily." With a fierce war cry that pierced the air, Hikari charged at her friend with one dragon. Itachi could shield himself with one arm, but that left him at the mercy of the other dragon. The enlarged susanoo left much of the form exposed to attacks. After several minutes of struggling, Itachi managed to maneuver himself out of the death grip of one dragon, temporarily sealing it away with his blade. He was almost out of chakra. In a last ditch effort, Hikari used her own remaining chakra to produce a flower from the forest, emitting poison fog. Itachi might have been immune to most genjutsu, but he could not avoid physical attacks of this nature.

Or so she thought. With a touch of his blade, Itachi sealed away the flower and the poison fog too. It was Hikari's loss. Dizziness and exhaustion overtook them. Itachi dispelled his genjutsu and fell to the ground, landing smoothly on the churned earth below. Hikari raised her hand in surrender.

"I surrender!" The two friends walked over to each other, smiling and panting. "That was amazing. I feel like we're one step from achieving our dream. But how can I ever hope to beat you?"

"Every jutsu has a weakness. I told you that. You will find it." The woman wiped sweat from her brow, then took down her hair from the ponytail she fought with it in, stretching her toned arms to alleviate some of the soreness. _You're so beautiful Hikari..._ he thought to himself. Itachi looked at his arms and for a moment had double vision. With a grunt he dropped to his knees, more tired than he normally would be. Something was deeply wrong. Hikari's healing had strengthened his body so that it could resist damage from fire style, but the full Susanoo must have taken a bigger toll than he could have accounted for. "Hikari... my body is numb, but I think I might be bleeding again." Hikari gave an energy patch to him, then one to herself.

"I'll take you back to the base to give you a shot and painkillers. Then you should rest before I fully treat you."

Hikari sat in Itachi's room, quietly mashing up several herbs and chemicals into a thin cream. Itachi slept in his bed behind her, un-warry of the woman's presence. The two had become close friends, closer to him than Shisui in some ways, less in others. Regardless, Hikari had seen him sleep more times than she could count. A line of pill bottles was neatly organized on his desk, each of her making, and several more powders were kept in containers on the other side. Hikari had come to him filled with a sense of purpose all those years ago, and not once had her dedication to this mission faltered. She didn't need anything from him. Only to help him in any way she could. In the late evening, Itachi stirred, silently waking to the woman still laboring away.

"How do you feel," Hikari asked, knowing already that the answer was not good. Itachi sighed and ignored the question.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Most of the afternoon. I brought you up some dinner." Itachi looked to his bedside table, where the woman had placed a bowl of Okayu and tea.

"Thank you." The man hesitantly took a bite, mindfully swallowing. Though the taste of the food was good, even the soft food stung his insides. He hissed in pain. His lower abdomen stung.

"If it hurts, the tea has a numbing agent in it. Not a lot, but it will enter your bloodstream to take away some of the pain." He nodded, and drank. When his body had been numbed enough to down a few bites, Itachi swallowed what he could manage of the food. Hikari finished her work, and filled a bowl with steaming water from the sink. When he was ready, Hikari injected his arm with clear fluid, then sat down on his bed, facing his back. Legs still under the covers, Itachi waited as her thin fingers pulled up the back of his shirt. Several reddish spots could be seen on the skin, a symptom that hadn't come up before. "Itachi... I'm going to need you to take off your shirt." Not really minding, the man obliged. Hikari hissed inwards at the dismal sight. The same spots had appeared in other areas on his upper back. The sickness had moved from his respiratory and gastrointestinal system to his skin. This was something only seen in the last stages of this type of vessel inflamation.

"Is it bad?" Itachi asked halfheartedly.

"I've seen much worse." It was true of course, but the slight blemishes to the skin were likely nothing compared to the damage inside. Filled with a sense of purpose, Hikari dipped her hand into the treatment paste, and gently began rubbing it into his skin. Her fingers trailed slowly up his muscular back, noticing that his skin was quite smooth aside from the blemishes. As her hands trailed upwards, she noted also that his ribs were slightly more visible than healthy. Itachi had lost a lot of weight in the last half year. Hikari's heart sank at the thought of how much pain he was in. Skin tingling, Itachi looked contemplatively into the fireplace as the woman erased the marks on his back with a combination of medical ninjutsu and medicine from Kabuto. The sun was setting, and soon, only the feint flicker of the fire cast the bedroom in a dim glow. Finally, Itachi spoke the words that were on his mind into the darkness of the room.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" Just behind him, Itachi felt her slowly nod her head.

"Yes." A small smile of resignation and closure spread across his face. His childhood dreams, his hopes of riding the word of conflict, soon they would all be gone.

"How long have you known?" Hikari knew that the question was not confrontational. He simply wanted to understand.

"Since the second night you coughed up blood. I didn't tell you, because knowing makes patients symptoms progress faster. I did it so you could stay alive for your brother." Itachi wasn't mad. He understood. His gut twisted at the idea of his closest friend having to hold the weight of his demise by herself.

"I'm sorry." Hikari stopped to look at him. Itachi looked ashamed at himself.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I promised that I'd continue to get stronger with you. We were going to show everyone a way to rid the world of conflicts. I failed completely. If I'll be dead soon, my descent will be painful to watch. I don't want to cause you any additional trauma." Hikari set her cloth back in the bowl to scoot up to his side. She rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Itachi, listen to yourself." The sparkling eyed woman looked him deeply in the eyes. "No matter if you feel like it sometimes, you are only human. No one should expect you to have infinite strength. It's cruel to put that burden on yourself. You did become virtually undefeatable. You prevented a war. You did pave the way for others to follow. And you completed every part of your mission perfectly. We have more time, I promise. We still have further to go. This last stage might be hard, but I'm going to fight tooth and nail to make it as comfortable as possible. Don't lose faith." Itachi didn't know where her drive came from. Surely, she was hiding the deep grief she truly felt.

"Hikari, I'm not going to let you pretend my death isn't going to hurt you," he said it simply but gently. For a moment, Hikari was silent, staring into the fire. Finally she smiled and spoke, as if determined.

"Your suffering hurts me, but being there until the end is more worth it than you know." Itachi wondered what she meant by that, knowing she wasn't going to give him an explanation. Hikari grabbed the bowl of warm water, and faced him, this time working on the marred skin on his side and mid abdomen. She had never seen him completely shirtless. The sight of him now, flames illuminating every indentation of his frame made it quite difficult to not breathe shallowly. To put it simply, Itachi was gorgeous. The man caught her eyes linger for one unbearably tense moment, wishing she would trail her hand lower, before she brought her gaze up again. "Do you remember the day we met, when I told you that sometimes there is an appropriate and moral reason for a person to die an early death? I meant it then and I mean it still. I understand why you want to leave and if you're in pain, I feel the way I did even more. Itachi," the kunoichi looked him deep in the eye, gaze filled with gentle compassion and war hardened toughness.

"I want you to die." It was a combination of words he wasn't prepared for. He knew she didn't mean them out of hatred or revenge, but out of genuine understanding. She continued to heal his marks one by one. "If it means putting you out of pain that won't go away, I support your decision for whenever you are ready." Itachi's body heat could be felt on her arm. Hikari's heartbeat was racing fast. "The only grief I will feel.. is from the idea of not being able to make your last days as pleasant as they can be before you do go." Did Itachi understand? She wondered. The words gave her the opportunity to detract if he chose to pull away, but they asked the question that was in her heart. The question he knew was there. For the time being, Itachi was healed. She set her tools to the side to look back at him. "I'm as close to the dead as I am to the living. We can still be together." Her last words came out almost as a whisper.

Itachi looked at the woman before him, remarking how much his perception of her had changed over the last two years. He looked at the woman who had completely changed his outlook on life and death, his counterpart who made him complete, the woman with a beautiful mind and a beautiful heart, whose subtle curves glowed in the light leading from her stomach and wrists, to the slight mount of her breasts, to her shoulders and neck to the face that made him feel like home. Itachi had his answer. To Hikari, it would be more painful to push her away than to let her in, even if she was soon to watch him die. In her mind, his going would not be goodbye. Highlighted by her light blush, her parted lips looked so inviting. He felt himself break.

"Hikari..." the whisper escaped his lips with intensity, almost like a plea. Hikari's eyes widened as Itachi's lips neared her own wanting ones. Finally, their mouths came together, meeting in a space where light and darkness converge; where one could not be distinguished from the other. Consumed with desperate desire and need, they kissed deeply, ravaged by an illness they would never recover from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Stretches arms* whew finally! Gosh, those Uchiha boys take forever to come around. Especially when they're so good at pushing away the people that mean the most to them. What stinkers. But I had to keep in character. Fair warning in case it's not your style, the next chapter will be a lemon. It's not very graphic, and honestly it's pretty sad. 
> 
> Also, you're interested, I'd love to hear some feedback on that last part of the chapter. How did it make you feel? It's supposed to have romantic tension, but in order for the next chapter to even happen, they had to talk about his death. I've never written something that's both sad and sensual at the same time, haha. Let me know if you want!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, once again I warn you that this short chapter is a lemon and it deals in some difficult aspects as well, so if you are young or are sensitive to any particular sexual themes, please use your best judgement before you decide read it. I wouldn't say it's super graphic, but it's certainly not a lime. 
> 
> I debated with myself for a long time about whether or not to add this chapter to my story originally. I didn't feel the need to describe any romantic interactions between the two main characters, because I didn't think it defined who they were. Ultimately I decided to because I do like the idea of two characters who are so similar in so many ways and yet perfect compliments of each other in others coming together in a powerful love. As they say, opposites attract. But more than that, I wrote it as a direct reply to many of the fics I have read over the 13 years I've been in the fandom. Even after learning Itachi's truth, many tend to associate his rather dark and angsty character with coersion and assault. I can now say after studying to be a therapist that though rape is a common fantasy, it is always painful for survivors. Assault is not in the fabric of who Itachi is. I wanted to do him justice.

_"Come with every wound and every woman you've ever loved; every lie you've ever told and whatever keeps you up at night. Every mouth you've ever punched in, all the blood you've ever tasted. Come with every enemy you've ever made and all the family you've ever buried and every dirty thing you've ever done; every drink that's burnt your throat and every morning you've woken with nothing and no one. Come with all your loss, your regrets, sins, memories, back outs, secrets. I've never seen anything more beautiful than you."_

_-Warsan Shire_

When their lips met, it was like coming home. Itachi gently pulled her in closer, until she was forced to almost straddle his lap, caught in between his exposed skin and the arm he had wrapped around her waist. When they finally broke free, Itachi looked into her eyes, certain now that it was not the flickering light of the candle that caused her pupils to dialate. Hikari brushed her fingertips against his skin, finally touching him in the ways she had never done before; touch for the sake of touch. A small, almost meek half smile spread across the woman's face as she peered confidently into his own onyx ones. Hikari looked down, realizing that her still fully clothed form was touching his toned, muscular, warm chest. When she looked back at him in surprise, she realized that he had not retracted, that it was acceptance that filled his face.

"Itachi I..." Hikari began but didn't know what to say. Itachi silenced her with his lips once more. There was no use for talking when they both knew exactly what they needed. His hands searched up her spine for a zipper, locating it just under her neck, and pulled down slowly. Hikari, feeling totally surrendered to the reality of what was happening, allowed for the smooth fabric of her shirt to loosen from her body and be thrown to the floor, revealing to him the perfect body. Not perfect because of shape or size, but simply because it belonged to Hikari; perfectly imperfect. Sitting almost straddled against him, Hikari sensed his arousal, but more than that, she sensed in his heart a burning desire that was about to engulf her from the depths of where he had repressed it. Almost lazily, Itachi leaned backward, taking her with him.

Wrapped in his arms still, he kissed her, tongue weaving past her lips and dancing against her own. Neither knew if the other had been in this moment with another before. Neither of them cared. For what did it matter? Any other possible lovers had only been practice for this connection that they would never escape from. The chill of the air made Hikari shiver against his warm skin. Itachi was immediately receptive, pulling the blanket up some, and turning her over so that he was now on top. Hikari looked up at his eyes, filled with caring yet smouldering with desire.

"Warmer?" He asked in almost a low whisper. She nodded, looking down and trailing a single finger to his chiseled abdomen, up to his chest, his skin was almost on fire.

"Much warmer," she smiled, and they continued kissing. Without intention, Hikari's legs rubbed against his own, wrapping herself around him. Itachi grasped her hips, asking permission to remove her leggings, which Hikari helped him with. They were thrown to the side and Itachi found himself wrapped in the embrace of the woman his mind had not been able to tear itself from for the last two years, the woman who had given him life. Itachi was a killer- a man who had brought on the demise of his own clan- he hated himself for allowing himself that which he did not deserve, but with the way Hikari looked into him, he knew that their collective strength could not resist the gravity which pulled them together.

Itachi explored the body he had wondered about but had never intimately explored, from neck to collarbone to the skin just above her bra. There, Hikari guided his hands to her back, inviting him. With a quick snap, her upper half was completely bare. She closed her eyes, feeling warm breath trail over her chest. His lips connected to sensitive skin and electricity shot through her. The most beautiful sound erupted from Hikari's lips, a soft sigh, that Itachi found himself determined to elicit once more. Hikari felt as if her heart could not open any wider to him; the man more selfless and intelligent than any, whose strength was immesurable. He was strong because though he had been forced lower than anyone else, the pain did not erase his tenderness, kindness, or integrity. A man like that was a privilege to give herself fully to. Hikari had always belonged deeply to herself. But in this moment, she wanted nothing more than to share everything she was with the man who had given her life. She bore her body out as she did her soul, stiffling every fearful impulse to tear herself away in favor of allowing his lips to trail from one area to another, tenderly exploring every inch of her upper body.

"Itachi... come here. I need you to be close to me." Itachi removed himself from her, trailing kisses from above her pelvis to her stomach to her chest to her neck to her mouth.

"I don't want to be alone anymore..." Itachi heard himself whisper into her ear. Hikari's hands grazed his back, gently massaging his muscles in response, purposely avoiding the bruises she had devotedly memorized the locations of.

"I'm here," She kissed him with wild abandon, her fervor complementing his controlled passion. Not knowing whose hand was whose, Itachi found his pants removed and set aside. He thrust his hips into her, and Hikari could clearly feel the extent of his feeling against her. Being trapped underneath him and feeling it made her gasp in surprise.

"Hikari..." he whispered, and looking deep into his eyes she knew she was very safe. The woman trailed her hands down his chest to his abdomen, stopping right above the waistband of his underwear. She looked up at him questioningly. "We won't go any further if don't want to," Itachi said, knowing full well that it was a conscious decision they both would have to make. The woman thought for a moment, then kissed him.

"I do," was all she said. Almost fully unclothed, she knew Itachi was allowing himself to be as open and exposed as she felt. With his body pressed against her, Hikari could almost picture what he looked like completely. Slowly, she grazed her hand down his chest to his hip, trailing her finger to the hem of his underwear. She felt him catch his breath, and noticing the question in her eyes, he softly nodded. Hikari moved her hand over him, eliciting a soft hiss of pleasure. Now it was Itachi who hesitated for a moment, before slowly slipping off his underwear to add to the pile of their clothing. He looked deep in her eyes, feeling exposed not from a gaze that examined his anatomy, but from a gaze that bore deep into his soul. She smiled, as if satisfied with what she saw there. Eliciting another sigh from the man, Hikari kissed up to his ear, sucking on the lobe. If it was possible, Itachi became even more aroused. "You're so perfect to me," she whispered, making shivers run down his spine. Lips enmeshed, Hikari dared to do the very thing he had fantasized about for months. He felt her hand take hold of him, and almost instantly pulled his hips back with another low gasp. The kunoichi underneath him looked up questioningly. He smiled, fondly.

"It pains me to say so, but if I let you, I fear we would arrive at the end far too early. This night is for the both of us," Hikari smiled back understandingly and returned her hand to his back. She kissed him devotedly, desperately. They communicated in a silent language through trailing fingers and rocking hips that each was at their wits end with waiting. They needed each other.

Carefully, Itachi snuck his fingers under the waist band of her underwear and pulled down, nervously removing them. Though the room was dark, he could make out each dimly lit shape. At the sight of her fully unclothed, Itachi felt his hands shake. He steadied them, and with one finger, trailed over the only skin he had left untouched. There they were, Itachi hovering over Hikari, completely and utterly vulnerable. Hikari began to think that maybe none of this was real. Her heart was beating fast Itachi grazed against her entrance, and the woman let out a small strained gasp.

It wasn't a sound Itachi was expecting. He looked up and registered the look of slightly saddened distress on her face. To his shock, the woman looked as if she might cry. Concern grew in his eyes as he looked deep into her watering pools. Suddenly, the dedication to gender equality, the refusal to be controlled, the extreme reaction she had to Hidan's party, it all made sense to him.

"Hikari... were you raped?" A single tear fell. She nodded her head yes. Remorse and anger filled Itachi's stomach. "On a mission." The woman once again nodded her head. The idea of what she and others might have gone through in root and in the ANBU crashed through his thoughts, horrifying him. He thought he might be sick at the idea of something so precious being forcibly taken from her. He thought of finding the man who had done it and promptly killing him. Itachi pulled away. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. I don't want to hurt you." But Hikari pulled his hand back to the mattress, back close to her.

"No, I do want us to. I need you more than anything. But... please be gentle." Itachi had coughed up blood only a few hours ago. He was dying and it hurt. There was no way he would be able to do this if he wasn't gentle. The man nodded, and still saddened, he kissed below her ear tenderly.

"I would never not be." With those words, he summoned the strength he had left in his broken body and slowly entered her. Hikari softly moaned, and he took time for her to adjust. He pushed in again and again once more, almost losing himself. Tears spilled out of Hikari's eyes, and for a moment, it seemed as if she was looking not at him but a memory. Itachi clasped both her hands in his, holding them against the mattress on either side of her face as she trembled, still crying. "Hikari... we need to stop. I won't put you through this."

"No," Hikari looked up at him with a warm smile. "I'm not crying because you're hurting me. I'm crying because you're helping me try to heal. You're so beautiful, Itachi. Thank you." He nodded and pressed his lips to her forehead.

It was that night that for the first time in his life, Itachi felt truly connected to another person. It was in that trusting exchange that they allowed themselves to show each other their hearts; bruised, broken, and scared by life, deeply lonely, and tired of fighting. Through the soft duet of longing moans, quiet enough to keep their secret, they found solace and escape in each other. And despite the thousands of times he had questioned it, Itachi received unquestionable proof that he had a soul. Though it was relatively short lived, it was pure and all consuming. They came undone together, and as if sharing one mind they knew that this was the beginning of a beautiful end. No matter what roads lied in store, they would not have to walk them alone.


	14. The Worth of a Single Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unified into a new serious relationship, new details of your partner's life are bound to be discovered. Hikari had simply figured it wouldn't be in such a life threatening way. Surprises aside, her number one priority is still to save Sasuke from her friend's rather explosive temper. Perhaps she discovered Itachi's secret at just the right time. For if she hadn't, Hikari, Sasuke, and quite certainly Itachi would have been dead before the final Uchiha showdown.

Itachi woke before Hikari. While he watched her breathe peacefully in his bed, he finally knew what he felt. It was calm, and stable, and yet somehow it was strong and unyielding. It was comfortable, like a new way of being at home, and most of all, it made him feel more alive. In time, the woman stirred and her breath became more shallow. Itachi wrapped himself around her from behind, holding her close to him. In her ear, he whispered the words as if with closure.

"I love you." Hikari felt him give a soft kiss on the cheek and for a moment, she doubted he had even meant the words. Hikari turned around to look at the raven haired man, who was smiling, unfastened hair falling loosely over his shoulders. Dumbly, she spat out the first words that could come to her groggy brain.

"You what?"

Outside on their walk, Itachi held her hand until they were out of sensory range. There, Hikari turned to him.

"When I first met you, I remember catching your eye and knowing that I was in the exact right place. I knew for sure I was following the right and moral path. I had planned to help you because it was what I had to do, regardless of my happiness. I had imagined that after time, you would find me annoying or I would bother you, and I had never imagined you would accept me as a friend." Hikari's face turned sad, somehow. "With all of my skill in foresight, I had never planned on this. I had never expected to be loved. I don't deserve you." It was clear that Hikari had been deeply touched and surprised by his sentiment. But he was unsure of how she felt in return.

"If you don't feel the same... it's alright. You can forget-"

"I think I had fallen in love with you sometime a while ago when you smiled at me. I just never let myself really think about it." Itachi smiled softly. "I never needed you to feel the same way. Because just having a friendship as strong as ours was enough."

"I'm not very affectionate." She smiled.

"You are in the ways where it counts. I don't need to hear passionate words to know." The woman lifted her face up close to his. "And if you were the gooey type it would just push me away." Itachi remembered how long it had taken him to let down his guard enough to initiate any form of physical contact. He wondered if this was really the way his parents had felt about each other. If it was, he had truly underestimated the depth of their relationship.

"Anyways, I have to leave soon. Deidara will be taking off to pursue Naruto tomorrow. I have to prepare to tail Sasuke just in case." Itachi nodded.

"I have a mission with Kisame as well. It's a bounty hunt nearby, so I should be back within a half a day." He looked away, and she knew from his face that he was nervous.

"I'll send you a message telepathically as soon as I'm in sensory range again. It will be fine. Your brother is strong. He can handle Deidara even if they were to go toe to toe."

"Thank you for your assistance, Hikari." It was something he felt constantly, though he didn't voice the words enough.

"Oh and Itachi? We've got to watch our backs. There are leaf ninja after us, you know."

The base was silent when Hikari returned. Itachi had gone off with Kisame, kissing her goodbye in secret. Now, Hikari found that everyone else was either gone or still asleep. A pot of hot tea was out on the counter, next to a large pot of miso. Absentmindedly, Hikari poured herself some of both, sitting at the kitchen table. She brought the broth to her mouth and paused. Interesting, it smells a little sweet. She shrugged and gulped it down. Her eyes shot wide open.

It was poison. Immediately, Hikari proceeded with how she had been trained, surveying the area for a possible culprit. There was none to be found. Her vision began to blur and muscles began to go lax as the ingredient took hold. _I have to get upstairs before I'm unable to move. If I lose consciousness, I could be in trouble._ Slowly, the woman made it off the chair and up the stairs into the hallway. Only then did she notice the presence in her room. Growling, she readied her bow and pushed open the door.

A masked man in a black outfit sat in the chair next to her desk. His Akatsuki cloak was hung on the frame. The figure turned around, and Hikari was taken my surprise.

"Tobi...?" He was one of the members that Hikari had rarely seen around, despite being Deidara's partner. "What the hell did you do to the food? What are you playing at?" If Tobi had come to her room, then it was likely personal. Either that, or he had taken care of the others first.

"It's been a long time, Hikari, haha!" The high voice pierced her ears. She was becoming sensitive to sound and light. "You look kind of dizzy. You might want to sit down!" She didn't need to be told twice. Arms and legs tingling, Hikari practically flopped onto her bed.

"Why did you poison me? Tell me!" The swirl masked man waved his hands at her, as if keeping the dazed image of her at bay.

"Okay, okay! No need to be frightened. I just want to talk!" Hikari hunched over in her seat glaring at him.

"Then talk! And you had better tell me the whole truth you lying traitor!" Tobi rose from his chair to stand with his hands on his hips and his head cocked.

"I see. So you want the whole truth is that it, huh?" Through the blur her eyes, she detected something sinister behind the man's mask. "Very well."

Hikari's heart nearly lurched into her throat. Not from the words that he said, but that his voice had just dropped two octaves lower.

Miles away, Itachi and Kisame made their way to the outpost town their target was last seen. Itachi had been silent the entire way.

"You've been staring into space, moreso than usual. Is there something in particular on your mind?" He didn't spare his partner a look.

"No, there is nothing." To be truthful to himself, there was quite a lot on his mind. Itachi had fallen in love, that was true, but that was the very least of his worries. In less than two days, his brother would possibly take part in another life threatening battle, and as much as Hikari insisted, he wasn't sure he would be prepared for the task. Regardless, Itachi would be facing him sooner than he could have hoped, or he would soon be dead. he would be leaving Hikari behind to go to an unknown secret hideout where he could not guarantee her safety. There was a lot in his mind he had to sort out.

"I wonder if Deidara will decide to go after your brother after all. It would be a shame after how long you've waited to take those eyes of his," Kisame continued, trying to prod and investigate what Itachi could be picking apart with his brilliant brain.

"If all goes as planned, he should be headed towards the Leaf to take out the nine tails." His sharp toothed partner sighed, irritated.

"That's just as troubling. I had been looking forward to seeing you take out the strongest jinjuuriki. Of course, I had also been looking forward to taking him on myself."

"I'm not worried. Deidara's overconfidence will prove fatal against the kyuubi. He's arrogant and egocentric and ultimately it will get him killed. There's no point discussing this any further. Our only goal is the task at hand." Itachi almost laughed at the level of mistruth. In all honesty, the mission ahead of them had hardly crossed his mind. A bounty hunt felt like a vacation in the mist of the existential pressure they now faced.

Hikari looked up at the masked figure towering over her, internally screaming. A simple change of voice and her mind felt like it was shattering. After all these years, had her whole perception of the organization been a lie?

"I chose to keep watch at a distance while acting as Itachi's mentor, but after all of these years you've complicated things quite a bit for me, Senju. It's high time we become more well acquainted." Itachi's mentor. Was this man who had masqueraded around as a bafoon all of these years really strong enough to have taught Itachi? She thought. The man's energy had changed from the last time she had seen him, as if a strange chakra had transformed him somehow. Now he was dark, cold, filled with malice.

"Who are you?" The masked man turned his head towards her now, visible eye turning red.

"Madara Uchiha." The woman couldn't believe her ears. If what he said was true, he had to be well over one hundred years old.

"That's impossible..." The man chuckled in his low, cold voice.

"I escaped that day thanks to Hashirama's medical ninjutsu and the re-generative properties of his cells which I stole. After my defeat, I came to the conclusion that the village would never beget true peace, and I formed the Akatsuki. Itachi has been my crowning glory for seven years. With his mangekyo he can overpower any that stand in my way. He knows this. But he is soon to die. You understand this more intimately than myself." Hikari wondered if this man knew the extent of how intimately she knew Itachi. She dared not ask. "In time, I will need a replacement to accomplish my goals, and Sasuke Uchiha will come to hate the village just as you do. I need him to prove he will be a capable vessel."

"How do you know my feelings towards the village?" Hikari's head was swimming. The masked man chuckled.

"I would have been a fool to not keep my eyes on you. A medic ninja with intuitive abilities from the Leaf ANBU, determined to save the life of a man guilty of genocide? The possibility was too great to overlook. I know you know the truth of the Uchiha. And you feel the way I feel about the village. Hikari, you and I are quite alike." She shook her head.

"Our politics are completely different. I'll never see the world like you." The man shrugged.

"Perhaps. But Itachi doesn't want Sasuke to know the truth. I believe the village deserves to be punished for what they've done all of these years. You agree don't you?" Hikari was filled with doubt. She looked down, resigned to his point.

"Yes," she whispered. He chuckled again.

"Good, we have an understanding then. If I'm to go against the Leaf, I need to test Sasuke's fighting prowess. I cannot let you interfere."

"What kind of man allows for the extinction of his own people?" Hikari tried to sense his chakra. It was cold and hateful yes, but was this man really Madara Uchiha? Her effort was in vain. The poison had addled her brain. "I won't let you risk Sasuke's death!"

"That's precisely why you are nearly paralyzed on your bed with nightshade poison and I am not." His possible intentions suddenly dawned on Hikari and she felt closure.

"You are going to kill me then?"

"Nonsense. Zetsu only added enough to incapacitate you. You still have an important role to play. I need you alive. Choose to stay here, in the Akatsuki with me, and we will bring justice to the Uchiha. Work alongside Sasuke and we will avenge the village that caused us all so much pain." Hikari thought about it. It was a tempting offer. She looked up at him.

"Sorry but I'm not interested in revenge. If you want to end the cycle, reform is needed."

"You're naiive. Do you really think institutionalized hatred as deep as what lies in the village can be repaired through reform? The system must come to an end. A new system should take its place." Hikari was too tired to think. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Not if Madara Uchiha was alive. Not if he planned to risk the future of his clan. "Think on it. You will fully recover in no more than two days. By then, we will have our answer." Madara turned his back and made his way to exit the room.

"No," Hikari bolted from the bed and lunged at him with a Kunai. It simply went right through him. Hikari stood back and gasped in shock. He turned to her.

"How can you still move?" Now Hikari understood. If this man could erase the physical presence of his body, no justu in her arsenal could overpower him.

"I spent.. three years trying to develop various immunities to poisons... I guess I still have some resistance left." Madara stood up straight, walking her back towards her bed.

"That can be easily countered." With that, the masked man cornered her up against her mattress. As Hikari's legs hit the frame, a sudden intuition popped into her head. She looked at him wide eyed.

"Wait a minute... you're... not... Madara..." The figure paused, before shaking his head.

"The nightshade has clearly altered your perceptions. You cannot tell the difference between intuition and hallucination. Sleep. This will all be over for you soon." There was no time to attempt resistance. The man's eye glowed red once more, and Hikari fell.

In his room, Deidara was making the last adjustments to his clay landmines.

Almost done, just a few more should do the trick, he thought. In a little over a day, he would have his revenge. Deidara was careful to refrain from coming to an official decision, musing over the advantages taking out the nine tails would also bring. If Hikari could predict future events, he would give her no time to plan ahead. He was interrupted by his musings by a knock on the door.

"What do you want?" The man shouted gruffly. The door opened to reveal the obnoxious, lame brained nuissance that was his partner.

"Hey! Deidara, orders came in from Leader. We have to go for our target right away!" Deidara sulked.

"What?! I wanted to build more land mines for the take down! Who does he think he is, ordering us around just because he feels like it."

"Sorry! Sorry! We have to do whatever he says!" The blonde man sighed, rising from his chair and packing the last of his things within the confines of his cloak. He looked back at his room, imagining for a moment that Hikari had meant what she had said. With a hardened heart, he came to a conclusion. When he returned, he would take her up on her offer, and if she refused, he would make her relationship with Itachi public news.

Itachi sighed deeply, allowing the warmth of the sulfur water sink into his bones. Through the steam, Kisame sat with his arms over his head next to him.

"Ahh, that hits the spot." The blue skinned man mused.

"Kisame, we need to locate our target. It's unwise to tarry here." The man displayed his sharp teeth in a smirk.

"Why can't we just let ourselves relax and enjoy ourselves for a bit? Who knows, maybe the minerals here will be good for you somehow. Your healing is coming along, isn't it?" Itachi tilted his head back.

"I haven't coughed up blood or had any pain since they day we returned from capturing the Four Tails."

"That's a relief. I had been getting worried that maybe I was going to lose you. Let's hope it stays this way." Itachi's heart sunk a bit at his words. Kisame had always been loyal to him. He had even put himself in life threatening danger to help him heal. Yet his partner did not know the extent of his illness. Moreover, he had no idea that whether he recovered or not, he would soon be dead. "Itachi," the man began again. "Let's say Deidara does take out your brother. What would you do then?" Itachi's entire body cringed under the relaxing water. Kisame certainly had a way with shattering his peace sometimes. Itachi had dared plan for the possibility. If Sasuke died, he would lose his mind. He would die in the exact same moment. A shell of himself, he would likely convince Hikari to have his child and raise them as an Uchiha- that is if he could manage to not immediately throw himself off a cliff.

"Deidara's a dead man. If Sasuke doesn't finish him, I'd kill him myself." He meant it. And Itachi would make sure Deidara felt his pain before he passed.

Flying high several hours later, Obito sat on a clay steed just behind his young pawn.

"Hey Deidara, where are we going?!" He inquired with a high voice distorted by jutsu. It was time for Deidara to make his decision. When he chose, Hikari would never be able to get there in time. Deidara did not answer, instead he headed to the East. Very soon, Obito would know if he had found his pawn.

Half an hour later, Hikari rose from her bed with a jolt. He's headed for Sasuke. She thought. Chakra still half drained and head hazy, Hikari bolted out the door headed for the battleground as if her feet had a life of their own. Heart racing, she vowed to protect him at all costs, even if it meant killing Deidara.

By the time she arrived, the Sasuke was badly torn up. The surrounding area was in a dismal condition, she had seen that Deidara had used his strongest jutsu to dissolve most living organisms within a large radius. He had taken refuge in the forest, though her exhausted friend was fast on his tail. Hikari readied her bow to take him out by surprise if she had to, and quickly crafted a message to send on a messenger pigeon for Itachi:

_I'm less than fifty meters away from Sasuke. Your brother will win this fight with or without me._

Heart racing, the woman squinted in order to get a good glimpse of the two of them. She could faintly hear her loud mouthed comrade exclaim something about Itachi's eyes and art. All at once, a heavy, piercing feeling crept up inside her, as she saw in the distance Deidara turn translucent.

_No... what is he doing? He's going to kill himself!_

"Noooo!" Hikari hurtled as fast as she could towards them, only guessing what would happen. If Deidara was going to blow himself up, Hikari would use all of her remaining chakra to create a large wall of petrified wood to slow the impact, giving Sasuke a chance to escape.

Coming the opposite way, a familiar high pitched screaming filled the air. Hikari saw a burst of white light begin to expand, obliterating all the trees in its path. Then she saw Tobi. Before she could resist, the tall masked man grabbed on to her frame tightly.

"Don't throw your life away, girl," the man's lowered voice mumbled. And then they swirled into nothingness, and for a moment there was no more.

When Itachi heard the knews from Zetsu, it was as if all of the grief he had experienced in his life came up at once. His heart sunk deep into his stomach. Even the notion that Sasuke had been unable to escape sent waves of fearful, suicidal agony through him. It felt surreal.

If Deidara had been able to create an explosion of that magnitude, there was no guarantee that Sasuke would have been able to escape. Zetsu could be right. He didn't know if his susanoo could shield him from an explosion that went on for miles.

_Sasuke, are you alive?_

After a life of unimaginable loss and grief, Itachi never prayed. But now, in this moment, he felt a desperate plea rise from his heart aimed at something, anything that had control over the universe. Within the next day, Itachi would know what had come to pass. His entire body yearned to hear the truth, that Sasuke was safe or that this was all one terrible nightmare. If he was alone in the world now, there was no point in suffering the agony of life any longer.

When the others left, only Kisame remained. His partner looked at him with an uncertain, sad smirk. It took all of Itachi's strength to keep his calm exterior. Itachi dismounted the geddo statue, walking silently out into the surrounding caves. Much to his annoyance, Kisame followed.

Through the cave, they spotted a small bird flying towards them with a message tied to its ankle. Desperate for closure, Itachi opened it. Through blurred vision, he read the hastily scrawled words of Hikiari. In all odds, they must have been written before the bomb went off. Itachi cursed his bad luck. Now, either the two people who meant anything to him were alive, or at least one had perished in the deathblow. Safe from Kisame's intense scruitiny, he stepped out into the heavy rain.

"You'll catch your death out there," the largely oblivious man stated. Itachi was dead inside. Almost. But for some reason, maybe because he didn't know any other way of being, he clung to his faith. He tilted his head to the sky, as if searching for any sign, any feeling inside of him that told him Sasuke was not dead. Deep in the corners of his being, he felt it and it engulfed him. It was an intuition he could trust.

_I feel you, Sasuke. You must be alive._

"You're so cold I have no idea what's going on inside your head right now. Not one little clue. Yet from here, it looks like you're crying." Itachi was crying, in a way. Silent tears leaked from his eyes uncontrollably. And as long as Kisame didn't know, he didn't particularly care what the man thought. "It's really too bad what happened to your little brother. It looks like you're the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan." Itachi was not a good enough liar to prevent Kisame from guessing his feelings for his brother. But Kisame was wrong.

"No. Sasuke's not dead," he turned to his friend with composure. He wished he believed his words rationally as much as he felt them.

_Live._ It was a pure wish, and yet now, as the rain began to clear, he desperately felt it to be true. He needed it to be true.

Hikari tumbled to the black marble pillars below her. Obito landed them both together.

"How did you get in my way? You fell under my genjutsu." Hikari struggled out of his grip, glaring at him.

"I slipped out of my body for a moment and woke myself up. The poison hasn't left my system. You could have just let me charge after him and yet you saved me. Where are we anyway?"

"You're in another dimension. I told you before, your life has value to me. When we exit this realm, we will be back at the hideout."

"Take me back to Itachi!" Hikari was almost hyperventilating. The rush of their near death sent her adrenaline skyrocketing.

"Relax, Hikari. Breathe. I'll take you back. But listen to me for one moment. If you wish for Sasuke to learn the truth, you will not speak of my plan to Itachi. You understand that, right?"

"Yes. Now let me go to him! He's probably planning his own death right now."

"He won't have gone without proof of Sasuke's death. Hikari, continue to do your job as you have planned. But do not be so eager to throw your life away to save Sasuke's. You have proven yourself to be a valuable addition to the Akatsuki." Hikari nodded, eyes filled with resentment. Whoever the man was, his view of the village was not so different. The woman might have favored the Akatsuki over the villages, but she would never be one of them.

Hikari used the last of her energy to run down the hall until she found the familiar dark and gentle energy of Itachi. He was standing alone, pacing as if waiting for something. The man turned to her with a face that looked like he had been rattled with fear and despair. The very sight of him so vulnerable brought a thin film of tears to her eyes.

"He's alive," she managed to choke out with a half smile. Itachi's entire being seemed to have sighed. Walking to each other as if pulled by a shared sense of existential relief, they collapsed in each other's arms, sinking to the ground. Itachi couldn't help it. A tear slid down his right cheek in front of her.

"Thank heavens." They held each other for a moment, and knew that with Deidara dead, the worrying was over. "How did you both escape?"

"I saw Sasuke on a seashore thirty kilometers from here. He transported himself into the realm of the snakes. As for me, your mentor saved my life." Itachi looked at her closely, still holding her.

"You know the secret then?" For a moment, Hikari debated telling him everything she knew. Instead, she simply smiled.

"I know. Your secret is safe with me."

That night, Hikari curled up next to Itachi in her own bed, nestled into the side of his chest. Itachi gently massaged her arm to comfort the both of them while she listened to their matched breathing.

"Sasuke will be nearby in a matter of weeks. He's going to begin to locate the hideouts one by one." Itachi nodded.

"It will go according to plan, then." Hikari smiled to herself, content that soon, Itachi would be at peace and her mission would soon be over.

"Itachi?" the woman asked with a kiss. The man looked at the woman staring up at him with tired eyes. "I don't want to sleep away from you any longer." He smiled.

"Let's stay together each night, until the very end."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone, I wanted to give everyone a heads up about the ending. If you have enjoyed any of the friendship, feelings, or character growth in this story at all, please please PLEASE with dango on top read the last chapter. I have written over 60 thousand words for no reason other than to get to that chapter. It's been in my mind the entire time since almost one year ago and it's the entire point and essence of this story. So if anyone by any chance is feeling the need to skip any of the smaller scenes, please for the love of the Uchiha and all that is good or okay ish about this story, please at least read that chapter!


	15. Mother and Father- Until Death Do We Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knowing death is soon to be upon him, and confident he can trust in the abilities of his lover, Itachi gather's up his courage and talks with his parents through channeling from a place beyond their untimely graves. It is on this day that Itachi opens up to the holes inside his heart, and learns that vulnerability is not weakness. It is on this day, under the shade of lush trees with poison thorns, that Itachi makes a promise to Hikari that he hopes she will keep for beyond a lifetime. And after truly learning from the strengths of their perfect complements as partners, it is on this day that Itachi and Hikari become the strongest individuals they could ever be.

_Hikari was eleven years old. This week, she had been promoted to take on higher level missions similar to those in ANBU. She walked through town under the strict supervision of her mentor. She was not often allowed to be seen in public and connect with the every day people of the city. Danzo had explained to her after entering Root that her talents were meant to be protected. If she were to connect with many outsiders, they would come to fear her and might even try to hurt her. At this age, Hikari was content to be safe under the umbrella of the organization. However, today was different._

_"Sensei, why are we going out today? You said that it wasn't safe to connect with strangers."_

_"I stand by those words. Not only are you different than children your age, but you originate from the wealthy main house of the Senju clan. If you became close with people your age, they would come to resent you." Hikari nodded. That made sense. "But today, your lesson involves watching them. I want you to understand the world you live in, Hikari. I want you to see it with your own eyes. Look at the people of Konoha. Every business, every family, every single person here depends on our organization and on ANBU to keep them safe. It is our duty to take on the tasks ordinary shinobi are to afraid to. We must preserve the secrets of our village at all costs. If we don't, the safety of everyone you see here could be jeopardized. Every system that keeps our nation strong could fall to pieces if we do not perform our best. Do you think you have what it takes?"_

_"I know I do!" The young girl beamed confidently up at her teacher, no idea what was in store. To her right, shops passed by until they reached a red building. "Wait a minute... is this little building the academy?" The man chuckled._

_"Makes you feel lucky you get such individualized attention, doesn't it?" Several children played happily in the school yard. A pang of loneliness filled the girl's heart. Looking further, she noticed a small boy with spikey black hair running to his family. His mother and father laughed with the teacher. Standing next to him was a boy that looked about her age. He smiled genuinely at the small boy who was beaming up at him._

_"Hey, who are they? I never see families with hair that spikey and dark." Her mentor grew uneasy._

_"That family is from the Uchiha clan. I'm sure you know of their history from the textbooks I gave you." Hikari silently thought to herself how she should really do the assigned reading instead of lying about it, no matter how boring it often was. "They've been cast to the margins of the village because they are not trustworthy. The Uchiha have been a troublesome clan since the birth of the village. It's in their nature. And while much of the Leaf was built with their help, they have always threatened to take over and stand against us. We must keep them in their place. Hikari, you must never talk to them." Hikari looked onward at the family one more time, and at the older boy. Could they really be so troublesome?_

_"I understand."_

Now, Hikari lay in bed staring at the ceiling. If only she had run over to them, if only she had gotten to know the way they truly were. Next to her, Itachi sat up with his back propped against the pillow, staring at the wall.

"Did you dream about them?" She knew that he would understand who she referred to.

"Yeah," he mumbled absentmindedly. Itachi's friend and lover sat up to rest her hand on his shoulder from behind him.

"I'm sorry." Itachi was silent, as if making a decision. Finally, he looked towards her.

"I've been avoiding it, but with Sasuke on the move, there's no more use in running from it. I think it's time now."

"Time for what?" She looked into his eyes, which were filled with fear, apprehension, sadness, and longing.

"I'm ready to talk to my parents."

The woman held his hand, leading him quietly to an abandoned temple away from the base. Neither of them prayed here, but it was the quietest place near the base they could remain secluded. Hikari even dared to admit that the thick marble structure made him feel more safe. Itachi's chakra was all nerves. The two of them came to a wide open hall, empty aside from a long bench trailing along the back wall. The once red walls were overgrown with vines of ivy, and the building was cracked in many places letting light in through the natural openings. Hikari sat down on the bench and had Itachi sit across from her on the floor.

"It's simple. I let my consciousness take a backseat and open myself for them to enter one at a time. I will be their voices, but I will not be here. You will see and feel them inside me, in a way I can't explain. They've been with you all this time. They want to talk with you." Itachi looked around unseeingly and cautiously nodded his head, deciding to ask his question honestly.

"How can I be certain it's real if I can't see anything?"

"You know the answer already. Test me. I wouldn't make up stories and lie to you." Itachi nodded and sighed. "Alright, then I'm ready." The woman took a relaxing breath in and out, then closed her eyes. Itachi watched her concentration fade quickly, and then her posture changed. The woman's eyes opened wide.

"Itachi, my boy, it's good to see you." Hikari's voice was still her own, yet something seemed different. By the words, Itachi's heart stung at the recognition of who it might be.

"Father?" The presence chuckled.

"I never thought I'd talk with you again. I don't know how much time has gone by from how you see it, but I hope it hasn't been too long." Itachi didn't know what to say.

"Father, what was the name of the toy dinosaur we gave Sasuke for his birthday?"

"The toy dinosaur? I remember he named that thing Ryuu!" The presence chuckled heartily. Itachi's heart felt like it could break open. Itachi remembered the day Sasuke turned two they had presented the green toy to him. Sasuke had pointed to it and loudly declared it's name 'dragon' much to the amusement of their parents. Itachi's voice sounded choked coming from his own throat.

"It really is you..." A silent tear fell down the eldest Uchiha son's cheek. "Father... I'm so sorry."

"Itachi, you did what you had to do. Our beliefs might have been different then, but now I think of it differently. I apologize for being stubborn. Our whole clan was singlemindedly set on a single idea of justice, when it would have weakened our entire village. I don't know what you could have done to change our path. All I know is that a figure like me who had not earned the trust of the village elders and the public would never have been allowed to become Hokage. Itachi, it should have been you. I see that now. I robbed you from that future, and I'm sorry." Itachi was completely taken aback. Words could not form from his mouth. Instead, the young man shook.

"Father I..."

"I never should have put you in such a hard position. I showed you violence in hopes it would make you grow faster and stronger. I created the person who made the decision to draw the curtain on our clan. I failed you. I should have been there for you more. Itachi, I take full responsibility." Itachi still blamed himself. No matter how strongly his father had influenced the person he became, it was him who made the decision in the end. Still, he had never expected such validation from his father.

"Father, it was also you who was trapped between leading the clan, and me. You had so much responsibility, and given the reality you had been born into you did the best you could. I should have understood that. I should have tried to work with you."

"Itachi, you were just a boy. I put as much weight on your shoulders as I had on my own." Itachi cursed himself for his limitations at that age. He was imperfect, and it cost his family their lives.

"What does that matter? I was supposed to be the best... It was a responsibility I could have handled better. Instead, I avoided you. Because of my own weakness, it was me who wielded the blade that killed you and mother!" Itachi could not stop the tears. Every piece of his broken heart throbbed. Sadness bottled up for all of these years leaked out of his eyes. "I wasn't a good son..." His body shook.

"Itachi, this is your mother." The body of his lover changed its demeanor again, looking at him with a sweet smile. "Please don't be so hard on yourself. No one expected you to be perfect. I'm so sorry it seemed that way. We're so proud of you for doing the best that you could. We're so fortunate to have had such a selfless son."

"Mother..." Itachi had never been very close with the woman who had given him life. Whether that was out of duty to his father or resentment for being alive he did not know. His mother had always been accepting of emotional vulnerability. He had never allowed himself to be vulnerable. Right now, all he wished to do was to feel her warm embrace and bury himself in her arms. "How can I forgive myself for hurting you? You lived your life for the both of us, yet all I returned was dishonor."

"I don't know how to heal all the guilt you've held in all this time, but if it helps, you should know that we completely forgive you. You are our son, Itachi. How would we have stayed to watch over you all this time if we didn't love you unconditionally?" His mother's words sent relief into his bones. Relief he still did not believe he deserved.

"I don't know what I did to deserve a mother like you. My gratitude runs deeper than words can say." She chuckled.

"You've always been such a gentleman! Oh Itachi, I wish I could hold onto you. But for now, please let Hikari do it for me." Itachi looked up at the young woman's smiling face. It occurred to him then, that the two women were similar. Itachi half smiled.

"I take it you had been talking to Hikari."

"You picked a woman like me. She's headstrong, but she's gentle and she cares about you a great deal. Take care of each other." Doubt sunk into his heart.

"Mother, father, I'm dying. I won't be here much longer."

"We know. Itachi, don't be afraid. Soon, you'll be home. We'll all be together again. You can look after Sasuke with us." Itachi nodded his head. Hikari jolted. "It looks like Hikari will be out of her trance soon. It takes chakra to channel us. Your father wants to say one more thing to you."

"Itachi, in time Sasuke will be responsible for restoring the Uchiha clan. You must give him the tools to survive in hard times until he is ready to have a family of his own."

"I have already planned to give Sasuke my eyes. He's gotten strong. I don't know if you saw, but he's even strong enough to defeat some of the Akatsuki at their full strength." Itachi's father chuckled in delight.

"Is he know? That's my boy." Hearing the words that had always been exclusively directed at himself now being directed at his younger brother sent a small smile to his lips. "It's time for us to go. But until we speak again, know that we are proud of you. Thank you for protecting the village, and for keeping the clan name untarnished." Fear gripped Itachi.

"When can I speak with you again?"

"Whenever you need us. Let your mother say goodbye." Hikari switched over again.

"My darling, I'm so sorry you thought that you were alone. You were never alone. Death has only put a thin wall in between us. But our bond is much stronger than that. We will never be far from you, Itachi. I love you."

"I love you too, Mother..." The idea of being separated from them once more drew tears from his eyes. It was almost too much for him to bear. He feared that perhaps he would never get to talk with them again. He watched the change in his lover's presence fade away, leaving him once again alone with Hikari. Itachi wanted to thank the woman he deeply loved for giving him the greatest gift of all. But just as much as he felt gratitude, he quickly realized that in a moment, the woman would come back to herself, only to see him crying. Hurriedly, Itachi stood up and departed the building, in an attempt to make himself disappear.

Hikari opened her eyes to find Itachi was gone. She understood that he had likely disappear to grieve by himself. Yet somehow, knowing the love between them, and feeling the intentions of his parents still inside her body, it felt wrong. The woman stood up and walked towards the exit of the building. There, in a far off corner in another room, she sensed him there, exuding a deep sadness. Hikari didn't question herself. Her feet simply carried her there.

In the room, hunched over in the corner, sat Itachi. The man hid his face from her, stilling his breathing to stop his quiet sobs.

"Please, Hikari... let me be," the low, strained voice choked out. Itachi was the strongest person she had ever met. The very sight of him hiding here, fighting to hide his heart, fearful of judgement made tears well in her eyes. From the tears he had already shed, the walls he had trained himself to keep up had grown softer. This was the true Itachi.

"It takes strength for a man to open up these days. Why are you so afraid to show me your heart?" Itachi wiped his eyes, still looking away from the woman in the doorway.

"A true shinobi does not show tears, Hikari. In the life of a murderer, feelings are a weakness." Hikari took several steps towards him.

"Your feelings for Sasuke are what kept you alive until now. I say throw rule twenty five out the window. In the life of a murderer, feelings are the only things that keep us human. Please never be afraid to show me what's inside your heart. Through all of the pain, it is the greatest mark of strength to still have one." Hikari sat down next to the hunched over protege of the Uchiha. Tear marks streaked over his cheeks. "I don't know what happened while I was gone, but this is from your mother and father."

Hikari wrapped her arms tenderly around the dying man's frame and held him close. In her field of vision, she could see them both around her, holding him around her form, as if they were all a family. That was when Itachi broke. Slowly, his shoulders trembled as tears leaked from his eyes. Then it hit him all at once. The man began to sob, quietly and then a little louder. As he heaved, the woman could feel him release his sadness into her field. Hikari smiled.

_Heal._

Likely imagining his parents, Itachi held Hikari close to him, wishing only to be with them again.

"Thank you... thank you..." he whispered to the woman, who gently rubbed his back as his mother would. Itachi cried and cried, until there were no more tears left.

After that, Itachi and Hikari decided to steer clear of the base, to have time all to themselves. Itachi decided to spend this day savoring every moment he could with his friend and lover.

"Let me take you somewhere. I want to have one last spar. Before I go, I want to see how strong I can be." Holding her hand, he guided her half a mile from the hideout, into a forest. Using a small prick of blood from his thumb, he performed a seal on the trunk of one of the larger trees, and a door appeared. "I have something to show you." They pushed open the door into the tree trunk, and Itachi lead her inside the hollowed entrance, leading them down stairs with a lantern.

"What is this place? Why didn't you tell me?" Hikari looked around at the underground room which was filled with piles and shelves of scrolls and books.

"This is the study that Madara created for himself and me. I've read all of the books in here, so I rarely come. There is information about Madara's identity here as well, so I had to keep it a secret from you. Now that you know, it's a moot point."

"I see... these scrolls are all secret jutsu. Where did he get these?" Itachi brushed dust from one of the tables pulling out two of the chairs.

"Madara has had a lot of time to take information from all of the great nations. He collected some from Orochimaru as well. I wanted to come down here to see how quickly we could gather new ideas for you.. for a final battle." Hikari admitted to herself that it did sadden her to think that soon their time growing as ninja together would come to an end. She smiled.

"Then let it begin. Maybe this time I'll finally beat you." Itachi was too impaired to read in the dim lighting of the underground library. Instead, he watched Hikari read through scrolls, content. "I never did like studying. I used to lie about doing my readings and then ask them to give me real life experience. I suppose there's a lot I missed out on." She looked up at him, and he was smiling. "What are you thinking about? I've worked with you for all these years and yet I still hardly know what's going on inside your head."

"It's nothing at all. You just look beautiful when you're so interested in something," Itachi stated calmly.

In the evening, before the sun began its descent, Itachi faced Hikari on the battle field. Madara watched from on top of a large boulder, cloak whipping in the wind.

"You are certain that Sasuke will not see us from where we are?" The male protigy looked towards his mentor.

"Sasuke is still recovering from his fight with Deidara. He's many miles from here. Itachi, this battle will undoubtedly do damage to your body. Limit yourself."

"Any damage I do to myself, Hikari can repair. Even if she can't, it doesn't matter. I'm dying soon, Madara. How can I know what I could have been in this world if I do not fight with my full strength?" Hikari smiled at his words, and readied herself. This was the last time she would battle with Itachi. She wanted to savor every last moment of it, every last moment of contact they fought to become the epitome of a shinobi.

Itachi smiled at her, waiting for Madara to give the signal to begin. They made the beginning hand sign, and waited for the moment to draw their attack. Knowing each other so well, each felt like they could hear each other's hearts beating. They waited for what felt like an eternity.

Tearing herself from the moment, it was Hikari who made the first move. She ran at the man with her fists, knuckles meeting the palm of his hand. Limbs crashed against each other over and over, fierce yet graceful until blades were drawn. Itachi swung and slashed, knowing he would never dream of hurting her. Hikari felt chakra flowing into his eyes and closed her own on instinct, feeling his energy as clearly as she felt her own heart racing. Fire met against fire, shurriken against arrows, each complimenting the next. Every move melted into the next in one timeless moment. Hikari sent petrified wood up through the ground, wrapping around his legs and waist to his hands.

"Why attempt to tie me down? You know it's futile," Itachi inquired flatly.

"I never wanted to. Just thought I'd switch things up," she smirked. Itachi's eyes opened wide. The vine around him had several thorns with poison. Hikari had taken what had happened to her and turned it into more strength. Itachi quickly replaced himself, turning to a cloud of black feathers. Hikari looked around with her senses, but couldn't place his location. There was chakra all around. The ghost jutsu he had copied could partially counter her lack of eyesight. But Itachi would not be able to attack if he was blinded. A forest rose from the ground, and Hikari slipped into the trunk of a tree.

"In this state, I can detect you with chakra alone, even without my eyes. I know you're there," the cloud of spirit neared her.

"But the moment you solidify, this entire forest will act against you."

"We'll have to see who can act faster," the voice was coming from a direction she couldn't place. In front of her, Itachi began to take form. Yet it was only his face. In a sudden flash, Itachi's iris turned white. Hikari made a hand sign, sending wooden arrows flying towards him. But Itachi was beyond the realm of touch once more, only half in the land of the living. Arrows touched nothing but ether.

Behind her, Itachi solidified, landing a gentle blow to her back, causing her to leave the confines of the tree. Itachi had taught himself to navigate a little in the darkness. He was not completely at the mercy of his blindness. Hikari attempted to land a blow to his side with a kunai, but Itachi caught her hand in his own, holding it gently. Hikari shot him a confused look.

"You said you'd fight at your full strength."

"I am." Hikari sent long thorny branches towards him from inside her forest prison. Itachi turned into crows once more, evading her attack. She felt feathers brush against her. The woman was becoming frustrated.

"Why don't you stop hiding and match me head on?" He was trying to disorient her. Hikari turned around and felt only the trees.

"You'll need to open your eyes if you want to find me," it was a challenge. Hikari wasn't intimidated. She had escaped his mangekyou before. Yet she knew he was up to something.

"I'll draw you back out of the forest."

"No, Hikari. I want us to stay here. Madara won't be able to see while we're in the darkness." Itachi was being so confusing.

"Well I'm not opening my eyes!" The mass of ether continued to circle around her, and she could feel his spirit almost wrapping around her frame. It gathered in front of her, and it was then that it solidified. Hikari swung her blade in anticipation for him to counter it. But what he did instead was not what she expected. He kissed her. The surprise was enough to make her open her eyes.

"Izanami."

Hikari gasped, unaware anything had changed.

"What happened? What is going on?"

"I trapped you in a loop. This jutsu was once used to cause an opponent to recognize their limitations and claim their fate, as a compliment to the Izanagi. Instead, there is a question I must ask you."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember when you told me that we were like Sasuke and Naruto, how peace could be achieved through love and strength coming together as two hands of the same coin?" The woman smiled.

"Yes."

"In less than a week's time, I will be gone. But after what you did today, I now know that I will not be leaving you. I will watch over you and Sasuke for as long as I can." Hikari didn't understand what he was implying, but the idea that he wanted to stay watching over her made her heart hurt. "When we met, you told me you shared Hashirama's philosophy. Which is why... I want to be an example with you of what true peace means. When I am gone, we can do it together. Hikari, let me give you my strength. Through you, we can achieve our dream of creating peace." Hikari felt as if his words would break her. With a tear in her eye she smiled at him.

"The two of us have always been idealists, haven't we? We've always been impractical and uncompromising when it comes to what we truly care about."

"Exactly, and it is for that reason I want to ask you... Hikari, until I am gone, will you give me the privilege of making you my wife?" Itachi grinned, knowing that while he was serious, it was foolish. The woman looked at him as if he might be insane, but slowly her face melted. She laughed heartily, charmed by the futile gesture.

"Itachi Uchiha, I would like nothing more."

Itachi dismantled the jutsu, still holding her hand. Itachi was smiling, satisfied, and reached into his pocket.

"Then let me give you this..." Hikari couldn't believe the absurdity, yet she understood that Itachi was never impulsive. This was a strategy he was using to guarantee that she would remain faithful to their promise. As long as she lived, she would carry out their dream, becoming stronger to create true peace in the world. Placing the small diamond on her finger, a feeling of resolution filled her, solemn yet comforting. Hikari smiled back and looked at him with a half smile and sad eyes.

"Until death do us part?"

"Until death do us part." He echoed back with a nod.

"Let's end this," Hikari whispered. Itachi gave a single nod of finality. Together, they made the hand signs and together, they rose from the ground.

Madara watched as two figures of old rose from the trees. One, the twin dragons, and the other, the nearly invincible susanoo. Itachi sliced down the forest below with his blade, skin burning. His lover attacked, one dragon biting the neck of the spirit clad in armor, the other biting the edge of the spirit weapon, in an attempt to pry it from the hands of the red soldier. Itachi fought back by igniting the wooden dragon on his blade in black flame from his eyes, resulting in blood. With his now free limb, he sealed away the fanged creature. Hikari swore, retreating.

"Your approach was original, but disarming me won't be so simple. You are using wood style after all." Hikari looked at him, panting. She was almost out of chakra. What was weakness? Hikari racked her brain for all she had learned throughout her teaching.

"How can I disarm you when your spirit weapon is attached to the soul?" Itachi looked at her with utmost seriousness.

"Listen to yourself. You of all people can undo this jutsu." The woman thought. What was the spirit? What was spiritual energy but atoms vibrating at a higher frequency than what could be seen by the eye in ordinary circumstances? How could one dismantle the structures of a spirit weapon that vibrated at a range physical attacks could not reach? Itachi made another assault on her remaining wooden dragon. Using it to dive close to him, the woman sent light and water at the armor. It grazed against it as if it was solid, dropping to the ground. As a last resort, she reached out her hand to feel the texture of the chakra with her sensitive hands. Her eyes widened.

Glowing with pride, Itachi knew in that moment that Hikari had become her strongest self. Body aching and internally bleeding, his chakra was almost out. She made five hand signs, and the Thousand Handed Kamma rose from the ground. Itachi's 'wife' to be stood at the top of the statues head, hair caught wildly in the wind, just as his own was. She raised her voice and declared:

"The weakness of the Susanoo is not light. It's sound!" With a single hand sign, the statue of her ancestor brought its main hands together, forming a wooden flute. Wind emanated from the face of the statue, and a loud single note pierced the atmosphere clearly, directed straight at the glowing red soldier. Itachi's Susanoo roared, dissolving layer after layer.

"You did it, Hikari!" Itachi shouted out to her in congratulations. They both grinned at each other, in mutual acknowlegement. Hikari was out of chakra, and she was forced to release her own statue as well. They both tumbled to the ground, landing in a sprint towards each other.

"I'm just could win... this fight..." Hikari mustered, punching towards his head. Itachi dodged, returning with a kick at her side. They exchanged blows, bodies completely spent. Blood leaked from Itachi's eye, and Hikari was unsure how she had not passed out. In a last ditch effort, Itachi caught her ankle with his foot, in an attempt to trip her. As she fell, the woman grabbed his arm, pulling her with him. They both landed on their knees, panting. Hikari attempted to stand, but realized she wasn't able to move her legs.

"It's... a tie. I can't go any further Hikari. I'm out of stamina." At his words, the woman felt herself fall to the side. Itachi smiled, and fell down beside her.

Madara watched the two of them at their end, and walked away.

"We did it..." The woman breathed. "We became the strongest people we could ever be..."

"Yeah..." Itachi replied, smiling to himself. Itachi never would have imagined that he would live to see the day he achieved his dream, even in part. He knew that if he had lived, no shinobi alive was strong enough to stand against him, not as long as he and Hikari were a team. Itachi could have used his strength to pave the way to peace. The words of his parents echoed in his mind.

_"Please don't be so hard on yourself. No one expected you to be perfect. I'm so sorry it seemed that way. We're so proud of you for doing the best that you could."_

In this moment, knowing he did try his best with what he had been given, it was enough. Itachi could die happy.


End file.
